"My Father has chosen you out of many, and He has sent Me here to ask you a question. My Father has a garden He would like you to take care of. In exchange for your services, you will be provided with a house, food, clothing, and everything you need. Now, you can go on walking this barren road, or you can accept My Fathers offer. Which is it?"
I've got nothing to lose, Adam thought. "Sure" So Adam followed the Man to a garden. Well, actually it was more like a small orchard. There was an apple tree, cherry tree, bananna tree, coconut tree, peach tree, and some others. They looked quite healthy and were already bearing fruit.
And then the Man handed Adam a large book, "This is the manual on how to manage the garden, make sure you read it. And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to stop by the house. It's the large one on top of the hill, you can't miss it." Then He handed Adam a pamphlet entitled, 'Crop Destroyers'.
"And one more thing, He added, MY Father has named all of these trees, and from now on, you will refer to these trees by the names that He has given to them. That one is Love, over there Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self-Control" he pointed to each tree as he called out their names. "And those two giant trees in the middle of the garden are Righteousness and Truth. Don't worry about those, they will take care of themselves. You just need to concentrate on the others. " And with that, the Man in white smiles, hugged him, and kissed him and said, "Welcome to the family." And as He walked away He turned around and said, "Make sure you come by the house, My Father wants to know you."
As the Man in white began walking away, Adam turned towards the trees, and began to call them by name. Let's see, that one is Love, that one is Joy, that one is Patience, no no. That one is Peace and this one is Patience. Kindness, Gentleness, Goodness, And those two are Faithfulness and Self-Control. And these giant trees are Righteousness and Truth.
And with that Adam began walking towards the house. He unlocked the door and walked in. Not bad, he thought to himself. It was small, a one bedroom house, but that was all he needed. He opened the refrigerator, it was full of food. He made his way to the closet, it was full of clothing just like the Man had promised. And so he put the manual down on the table, put the pamphlet in his pocket, grabbed a snack out of the frig and flopped down on the bed.
What a bed, he thought. I've never laid down in a bed this comfortable, they sure know how to treat you right. And just as Adam was about to close his eyes, he heard the sound of laughter and screams. He jumped out of bed and looked out the window. And to his amazament he saw four or five kids playing in Patience. They were dangling off the branches and shaking the limbs as hard as they could, laughing and screaming the whole time.
He ran out the door and began chasing the children out of the garden. "Don't ever let me catch you in my trees again!!!" he shouted after them. But as he walked towards the garden he noticed that some kind of weed had started growing all over Patience.
It must be a fast grower because it was already about ten feet high and starting to wrap around the fruit of Patience. And so he quickly pulled out the pamphlet and began try to identify what kind of weed it was. He found it on page one, "The Weed of Anger"
Those kids must have planted it here, Adam thought. So he ran back to the house and found some hedge clippers. But instead of pulling them out by the roots, he began clipping them at about ground level. And with that done, he put the clippers back in his pocket and began walking back to the house so he could once again lay down in that bed.
When he reached the house, he grabbed antoher snack and plopped down in the bed. It wasn't long before he was sound asleep. When all of a sudden he was awakened by shrill screams. He bolted out of bed and stormed out of the house, this time the children were in the tree of Peace.
When the children saw Adam running towards them, they jumped down and began running into the nearby woods. I'm gonna get 'em this time, he thought to himself. And so he chased them through the trees until he came to a clearing.
It was another garden. That's odd, he thought, I didn't know I had a neighbor living so close by. He spotted the children playing in his neighbors tree of Joy. Thats when he noticed a man in the garden, and Adam began walking towards him. That must be their father.
As Adam approached his neighbor, he saw that his neighbor was working on the tree of Love, pruning off a dead branch here and there. The neighbor turned when he heard the footsteps, but before he could say "Hello", Adam jumped right in.
"Hi, my name is Adam, I live beyond those trees. I just got down chasing your kids out of my garden. They were hanging all over Patience, then I found them again in Peace. They were shaking and playing in the branches trying to make the fruit fall off. have you ever heard of the word discipline!"
"Relax, my friend" his neighbor replied, "That fruit isn't going to fall that way, no matter how hard they play in them." And the neighbor continued to speak, but Adam could no longer hear him, for his mind had wandered with his eyes. He stared into the trees. Man, I can't believe how much fr he's got on his trees, and look at that house. Why does he have such a big house for?
His neighbor noticed he wasn't paying
attention. "Adam, I said we need to get
together some time, and cut these trees down,
we need to tear down this barrier between
us."
"I'll think about it", said Adam
"How is your garden doing?"
"It's doing just fine thank you, just keep
your kids out of my garden."
"I'll come
over some time, maybe I can give you some
gardening tips" said his neighbor
"Just make sure you call first" replied Adam
as he began walking away.
Relax, how dare he tell me to relax, that is what I would be doing right now if his kids hadn't tried to destroy my trees. And why does he have such a nice house for, and all I've got is this one bedroom. I bet he even got the best trees and the best land. And about that time, he came to his own garden.
He glanced towards his trees of Patience and Peace, and seen that the weed of Anger had already grown back. Not only that but it had spread to Gentleness and Kindness.
And so once again, he took out his clippers, but this time only clipped them down at about waist level, he was tired. And as he clipped the last weed from Gentleness, Adam looked up and saw that some kind of silk worm or catepillar had infected his tree of Love, not only that but it had spread over to Joy and Goodness. He pulled out his pamphlet and looked in the worm section. "The Worm of Jealousy"
But instead of pruning off the infected branches, he grabbed a rake and began brushing off as many worms as possible. I didn't know it was going to be this hard, Adam thought. He walked to the house and turned around to look at his once beautiful garden. 'I've got to do something about this.' Adam said to himself
As he walked in the house, his mouth dropped open. It looked as if somebody had ransacked his house while he was gone. Things were knocked down, thrown around. The refrigerator door was wide open and some of the food was missing. The closet door was also opened and somebody had sprayed oil or grease all over his fine white clothing. Then he remembered, he had forgotten to lock the door. what kind of person would do such a thing he wonderered. I didn't know I had any enemies.
And so he cleaned up the house as best as he could, tried to wash the stains from his white clothing, but it was no use. he looked in the frig and figured he had enough food to last a short time, he would go visit the husbandman when he ran out. What am I going to do about this garden he asked himself. He looked over at the manual on the table. Man, that thing is so big I wouldn't know where to begin. I could ask my neighbor for help, but he'd probably just laugh at me. And if I go to the husbandman, He'd surely be angry with me for taking such poor care of the garden. Then he had an idea, I know what! I'll just go over to the local gardening store and pick up some books on gardening, surely they will have something that will help out.
And so he went to the garden store and bought several books on gardening. He ran back to the house happy as could be. Just wait till my neighbor sees my garden now he thought. And so he went into the house, took the manual off the table and put it on the shelf. Then he sat down and began reading.
Now after reading four or five books, he laid his head down on the table. Now he was really confused, for all the books seemed to contradict one another. One book said to water the garden, another said don't water it, fertilize it. The third book said, 'dont' worry about your garden, concentrate on your neighbors" and still another read, 'don't even bother with the garden for the end of the world is at hand.
And finally he raised his head, and when he did, he caught some movement out of the corner of his eyd. It better now be those kids again. He ran to the window and peered out. And there he saw a woman walking through his garden. And being the gentlemen that he is, he decided to greet her.
As he began to approach her, he noticed that she was standing between Self-control and Faithfulness, looking from one tree to another, finally setting her eyes on Self-Control.
"My name is Adam", he said smiling. "How can
I help you?"
"What kind of tree is this?"
she asked.
"That's an apple tree" replied Adam
"They sure do look good, Would you mind if I
picked one?"
Adam thought for a moment,
surely the husbandman isnt' going to miss one
apple. "Sure, have all you want."
But he had failed to see the large basket in her other hand, and so she began to pick and pick until there was only one apple left. "Go ahead and eat it, I left that one for you" she said with a wicked grin.
And so he did and took a bite, and it was the most delicous apple he had ever tasted. "Come over to my house and I'll make a pie" she said with a giggle. And so without a backward glance he began to follow her through the forest and to her house.
But it wasn't long before he noticed that all the trees were either dead or dying. Some had even fallen down and were already decaying. And as they approached her house, he noticed that she also had a garden. all the trees were dead, yet they were still bearing fruit. That's odd he thought.
Just then she picked one and began eating it.
Curious, he also picked one. It was very
sweet in his mouth, but became bitter in his
belly. "What kind of fruit is this?" Adam
asked
She saw the awful face he was making and
began to laugh.
"I'm not sure, but your
neighbor calls it the forbidden fruit. You
don't like it do you? None of the tree
growers do, I don't know why some of them
keep coming over and and eating it, I guess
they all have poor memories. I've grown tired
of them myself. And so now I just walk
through other peoples gardens and ask if I
can have some of their fruit. And if they say
"No' the first time, I just keep asking until
they give in. Now some of them will only
allow me to grab a few handfuls, but most of
them are quite gracious like yourself and let
me have as much fruit as I like, from
whatever tree I choose from. Then her face
grew stern. "All except for that neighbor of
yours, no matter how many times I've asked,
he never has given me any of his fruit, and
he said he's never going to give me any. So I
don't even bother asking him anymore. Come on
in, you can help me make the pie"
And it wasn't long before the pie was made and baking in the oven. He smelled the pie, and thought, you know, I can't remember the last time I had apple pie.
"It's ready" she called out
"Good, I'm starving, cut me a big piece" And so she did, and set it on the table in front of hiim. He grabbed his fork and was about to take a big bite, when he began to think. Was this really the right thing to be doing, after all the man did give me a house, clothing, and food. If it wasn't for him, I'd still be walking that lonely path. Hmmm, I probably shouldn't have let her pick all of those apples.
"Hurry up and eat it before it gets cold" She said.
Well, maybe I can borrow some of my neighbors fruit, I mean, he had so much fruit on self-control it looked like the branches were going to break.
"Come on, What are you waiting for? EAT IT!"
Maybe the husbandman will understand, I mean I'm only human. About that time the woman got up from the table, took a big forkful of pie and began waving it in front of him like a mother to a baby. "Come on, here it comes, open wide. That's it, a little wider. Good boy."
And as he began to chew, it started to taste like rotten garbage, until he finally spit it out. "YUK!!"
Are you sure you this isn't made out of the
forbiddeen fruit?" Adam asked
"Of course I'm sure, you helped me make it
don't you remember? You tree growers are all
alike!"
"Actually I'm not a tree grower, I'm a fruit
grower. I think I better be leaving. I've got
a lot of work to do. Do you have anything I
can rinse out my mouth with?"
'Sure, I've got some left over apple
juice"
"NO thanks, Adam replied, and as
he began to walk towards the door he thought
to himself. "I've never coming back here
again"
"I'll see you tomorrow Adam!" she said as he left. And as he walked out the door it had become very late and very dark. He hadn't realized how long he had been gone. And so he began walking through the dead trees spitting the whole time, trying to get the awful taste out his mouth, holding his belly with his hand 'What a mistake that was' And as he entered his garden with his head down, he thought maybe if I lay down and get some sleep, i'll feel better in the morning. Oh no, But she's going to come over tomorrow. I know what, I'll just lock the door and when she comes over, i'll pretend I'm not at home.
Just then he noticed that he was walking on rotten fruit. he looked up into the tree of Faithfulness and seen that thorns had grown up all around it and were choking the life out of the branches causing the fruit to fall. He knew what kind it was from reading the pamphlet, "The Thorns of Lust"
And so he took his hedge clippers out and began walking towards the tree when he tripped and fell head first into a rotten piece of fruit. He turned to see that he had tripped ove a thorny vine. He followed the vine to Self-Control which was already being consumed. He tried to cut it with the clippers, but is was strong as steel I'll go get the wire cutters from the house he thought, but when he lifted up his head, he looked in horror at his garden.
The tree of Love was totally enveloped by thorns, it fact it looked like a thorn tree. And from Love the thorns had spread to all the other trees. The Worms of Jealousy were also back and they had already destroyed several trees, and the Weed of Anger was choking the life out of Peace, Patience, Joy and the rest of the trees.
And now his once beautiful garden looked more like a jungle So Adam spent the rest of the season trying to save his garden from the Weeds, Worms, and Thorns. And when Harvest time came around, the only fruit he had to offer the Husbanman was the fruits of Righteousness and Truth. Which were never really his to begin with.
The interpretation
Just as Adam was given a garden to keep or guard, so we too have been given a garden. And just as the devil didn't make Eve sin, but could only tempt her. So also it is not possible for the world to rob you of your peace, joy, love, and so on. It is that you allow them to pick your fruit. It is not the external but the internal which affects the fruit.
It is impertive that you know the fruits of the Holy Spirit, for they are woven together, you cannot have peace without joy, or faithfulness without self-control. and if you don't have love, the whole garden withers away.
Never replace the Bible with other books. If you find yourself spending more time reading other books, you may end up putting Emmanual on the shelf.
When you become envious of anothers posessions, what you are really saying to God is, "I'm not happy with what you have given me." God has given each of us everything we need to accomplish His will.
Sin always taste better in your mouth than in your belly. Just as the Israelites were complaining in the wilderness about how good the food was in Egypt, they had forgotten about the bitterness of slavery.
The man was given the opportunity to get up from the table adn walk out the door. For God will not allow you to be tempted more than you are able to bear, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape. The key words here are 'allow' and 'provide', God is in control. Satan cannot tempt you without first asking permission from the FAther.
The man didn't know he had an enemy. We underestimate the enemy. We tend to walk throughout the day forgetting about him. He is like a professional hit man, he's stalking you, and watching you, listening to you, he knows your weaknesses and he knows your friends. And when the moment is right he strikes. One of his best tricks is to throw poisonous seeds into the garden of your mind. That is why we must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Because if you don't, you will find yourself watering that seed with your thoughts and fertilizing them with your emotions, until you have grown a choke chain around your neck, and all the enemy has to do is pick up the leash, and lead you away from the Master.
A christian can be likened unto a dog lying at the feet of its Master. When a stranger comes to the open window and begins waving a big chunk of raw meat. And the dog starts sniffing the air. Now the well-trained obedient dog will stay right at the feet of his Master. But because like the dog, we still have a little wolf in us and the desire for red meat, we find ourselves getting up from the Masters feet. Now when you know the truth, believe the truth, but do not do what you know is right. you begin to harden your heart, and with that comes the dullness of hearing. And as the dog begins to walk away, he can't hear his Master saying, "NO, STOP, STAY, HEEL, ATTACK!" And before he realizes it, the dog has walked out of the house, and is now standing at the edge of sin.
That's what christians like to do, they like to stand right at the edge of sin, and be foolish enough to think they have enough self-control not to take the next step. And as you are standing there, the enemy begins waving that meat and saying, "Come on, you know you want it, You've come this far, dont' turn back now." And as you take that next step, you find yourself falling over the cliff. And then as your laying there, the same enemy who lured you over is now saying, "Well, look at you now, you said you were never going to do that again" And he starts to throw the fiery darts of shame, guilt, and unworthiness, and if your not careful you'll find yourself wandering through the wilderness. Meanwhile, the Master is standing outside calling your name. "Come here boy!" "Come here girl"
Do not be tempted to walk away from the feet of the Master, For in His presence there is fullness of joy, and at His right hand there are pleasures forevermore. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
The woman calling the man a tree grower is like the world calling us religous, tell them that it is a relationship with Jesus and not a religion
Your flesh is your enemy. In order to be an overcomer you must deny the flesh. You must live in the spirit. No matter what circumstances come your way, you must be obedient. You must walk in the Word, not the world. In order to overcome the devil and the world, you must overcome the flesh. If you can overcome the flesh, you give no place to the devil or the world. But it cannot be done in your own power. You have no power. All power come from God. You must decrease, and He must increase. You must die to the flesh, just as Jesus died to the flesh. Pick up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Him.
Don't get greedy with the fruits of the Spirit. They are not just for you. if someone needs love, give them a bushel of it. God will replace what you have given away. We are commanded to love our neighbor and enemies
The woman laughing at Adam when he ate the forbidden fruit reminds me of Ishmael. Sarah looked out the window one day and saw Ishmael mocking Isaac. Now until this time, the two boys had been growing up together, but when Sarah saw her mistake mocking her blessing, she had enough. Deal with your mistakes now before they begin to mock your blessings. She called Abraham and said, "Abraham cast out this bondwoman and her son." But Abraham was grieved. it was easy for Sarah, but Abraham over time had become bound to the bondwoman. Abraham had spent many nights with Hagar, and he couldn't deny his son, he even looked like him. It was easy for sarah, just like it is easy for us to tell other to put away their sin. But God knew the heart of Abraham. He knew that Abraham loved Hagar and Ismael, but because of the blessing that God had in store. He told Abraham to send them away.
Because of the blessing that God has in store for your life. There are some things that you must put away. And when you can walk away from something that you've held in your arms, and turn to God and say, "Lord, I love you more." That is the sacrifice of praise.
So how do you make your garden grow? Deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Jesus. Know the Master, Read the Manual, Watch and Pray, Keep the doors locked. Guard your fruits, Wear your Armour, Use your sword, Love your enemies, Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Abide in Jesus. Put on the mind of Christ. Be a faithful steward Plow up your fallow ground, Water the fruits with tears of repentance, and Fertilize them with the sacrfice of Praise. Amen, even so, Come Lord Jesus