On yesterdays news, the "weather guesser" said that the temperature would be in the mid to upper 90's today. So because that kind of weather is not conducive to working in the garden and picking beans, I decided that I would get in the garden early. So as soon as my little wife left for work, Gracie and I headed out. That's not what I usually do. Usually I sit down and read my copy of the Word of God for a while, read a devotion section, pray or walk down to the tabernacle. But if I took time to do that today, it was going to get really hot before I got finished in the garden.
On my knees I headed down one of the two rows of "Louisiana Purple pod" beans that I had planted about 8 weeks earlier. I was on my knees because last Monday I was hauling scrap iron and decided to play "superman". I grabbed a large filing cabinet and hoisted it up on the truck. Didn't seem too bad at the time but I have paid for it for a full week now. My back hasn't let up much since then. So I'm on my knees, picking beans. About a third of the way down the first row I realized that I hadn't even talked to God. I realized that in years past that He had spoken to me in very real and sweet ways while I was in the garden or working around the farm. I prayed. I guess it was a prayer, at least I said, "God I sure wish I could hear from you this morning", and continued on down the row, scooting along on my knees, pulling the basket behind me.
I became conscious of birds singing out along the tree line. In hearing them I was reminded how much I love music. Nothing better than listening to four part harmony singing good ole southern gospel music. If four part harmony sounds so good here, I wonder if there will be perhaps 8 part harmony in heaven. Or perhaps there will be 1000 part harmony up there. I want to go to heaven just to hear the singing. If I have to sit on an old slab bench out under a pine tree, just to be able to hear that music will be well worth the trip.
Then I notice the beautiful purple beans hanging in bunches from the vines. The words of Jesus that said, "I am the vine and you are the branches....you can do nothing without me" came to mind. I realized how foolish it would be for one of those old purple bean pods to brag about all that it had done. Without the vine it is just a dried up shell with a pea or two inside.
As I looked at those pods hanging there I remembered that purple was the color of royalty and acknowledged the fact that the God I serve is THE one and only God. He is mighty, and one day I will see Him in all his splendor and royalty.
I looked down at the dirt my knees were buried in and thought about the story that Jesus told about how the ground has to be prepared in order for His Word to find a place to grow and prosper.
Looking down the row I noticed how straight they were. (Sometimes my rows are not that straight but these happened to be pretty good) I heard Him say "Straight is the way that leads to life".
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About half way down the row sat Gracie. Now Gracie isn't much for working. Her little black body gets hot in the Alabama sun and she doesn't last long in the heat. But she sat there with her back to me. Faithfully looking down the row. It was almost like she was guarding me while I picked beans. I thought about the "vigilance" of God. How that He promised He would "never leave me nor forsake me".
After about two hours in the garden I got up, (slowly, wow my back hurts) and headed back to the house. I had baskets of beans, squash, tomatoes, pepper and cucumbers. What an abundant harvest for one morning. I can just hear Jesus say, "Give and it will be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over".
I shed myself of my muddy boots and pants and changed into cleaner cloths. I pulled out two pieces of ham that my mother in law had prepared for Sunday dinner yesterday and fried that in the skillet. I mixed in a couple of scrambled eggs and sliced one of those "Cherokee Purple" tomatoes to go along with it. I sat down and as I bowed my head to thank God for the food. I realized that even thought it was not Sunday and I had not attended a worship service, I had already gone to church.
If you will set your heart to listen, God will speak to you through everything that you encounter today. I hope you will listen for His message.
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