Manly Men | Our Garden - Cedar Point Church

Manly Men | Our Garden

Ryan Jahn Devotional June 18, 2018 | 0

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15

A garden. That’s all it was. Notice that the Lord did not say, “I created a planet with 57 billion square feet of stuff—dinosaurs, whales, volcanoes, and forests, and it’s your job to keep it all running smoothly.” Adam would have experienced the first panic attack. Instead, God entrusted a tiny portion of His creation to this man. The work was designed to be enjoyable and fulfilling. Adam’s first day on the job was easy: sipping nectar under a shade tree, naming animals. Adam: “I’m thinking ‘bluebird’ on that one, Lord, cuz…it’s blue and all.” God: “You can do better than that.” God’s assignment for Adam’s first day of work shows us that God intended for our lives and our work to be enjoyable, fulfilling, and in partnership with Him.

But a few things hinder us from experiencing God’s best for our homes and careers. First of all, we don’t stay in the garden. We over-achievers are programmed by our fast-paced society to do more, stay busy, take on that extra thing. We’ve decided it’s better if we make more money, take more classes, enroll in more sports, dance, aerobics, and clubs until we don’t have time to breathe. A second problem is that we give up on our gardens too quickly. Divorce has become no-fault, no-sweat, no-worries and for many is the first response instead of the last resort. Rather than weeding and watering our gardens, we go find another garden. And another. God’s gardens are meant to be overwhelming at times, frustrating, and we break a sweat. But that’s how we grow in faith, character, and Christlike obedience. Accept the garden God gave you and enjoy it with Him.

Final Thought:

Manly men tend with care the gardens God has given them.

Prayer:

Father, I’ve failed at so any of the jobs you’ve given me, it’s hard to believe you would trust me with more. But you don’t give up on me, so help me not to give up either. I’m ready to work in partnership with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.