"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world" - (Eph. 1:4).

     Oh, look with me now at the beauty, the glory, and the imperishability of the Father's plants.

     God, the Father, chose His plants before the creation of the world (Eph. 1:4-6).  It was His purpose and plan to have a people to the praise of His glory.  He gave these people - these plants - to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to plant and care for so that they would never die (Jn. 17:2).  The Lord was faithful and successful in His great work because He had faith in His Father that He would give Him, and do for Him, all that was necessary to keep these plants alive.

     As the Lord nears the end of His life on earth, we see how He did it.  He was completely dependent on His Father all of His life to meet all of His needs.  He could do nothing (as a man) without His father (Jn. 5:19, 30).  This is why He prayed so often to His Father.  All human life must recognize its dependency upon God or it will surely die, not only once, but twice (Jude 12-13). 

     Many today are teaching God's plants that God can't do all that is necessary to save them unless they "let Him."  

     Can a plant give itself life? Can it keep itself alive?  Is the plant more powerful than the God that made it? If it is, we don't need any more gardeners!!

     Many are making their faith, and their will, their savior. It is faith in Him - in the Master Gardener - that will save us.  We can do nothing - nothing without Him  (Jn. 15:5).  If we believe the truth, we will always be praying for Him to do for us what we can't do for ourselves.  We will be asking Him to give us grace, wisdom, power, love, life, etc., according to His promises.  It is by grace that all are saved through faith - and not of ourselves (Eph. 2:8).  It is faith in Him, in His promises to justify and sanctify us, wholly (Acts 13:38-39, II Th. 5:23-24).  It is because of His faithfulness to His word that we are not consumed (Lam. 3:22-23, Jn. 17: 11, 17).

     Let us read Psalm 119 over and over again.  It will teach us how to live, and how to pray, so that we won't be dishonoring the precious name of our Master Gardener.

     Dear Reader, are you without Christ - without hope - on this Christmas Day?  Won't you come and rest under His Christmas Tree and take all His gifts, freely?  Why will you die???