Devotional Archives

 

The Cerulean Sky

       "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands" - Psalm 19:1 NIV

A Place At the Table

     

My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I'm going to prepare a place for you?" - John 14:2 NIV

    Rain spatters down outside and brilliantly colored leaves fly from the trees, like hundreds of umber, crimson and orange birds that have finally been given their freedom.  Inside, the house is toasty warm and filled with smells of freshly baked pumpkin pies and roast turkey.  As we gather around to pray and give thanks for our blessings, there's one scene that always warms my heart more than any other this time of year....read more.

God With Us

     

""The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel" (which means "God with us")." - Matthew 1:23 NIV

    I look up into the star-flecked sky and breathe in the chilly air.  Quietness pervades the atmosphere - with the only sound I hear being the crunching of the frosty grass beneath my feet.  While I wait for my sister as she tends to one of the goats, I squint into the dim light of the stable and see the does calmly grazing on their evening hay.  As I look on this modern day 'manger scene' I try to imagine what it must have been like that first Christmas night.....read more.

Childlike Faith

    “....Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 18:3 NIV

    “My Dad can lift a rock THIS BIG!” - That’s an actual quote from my sister and I when we were probably around 4 and 6 years old. Walking on the sidewalk with our Mom, we were passing by a large retaining wall with giant gray rocks - boulder sized - that seemed to tower over our heads. Not nearly as impressed by their size as by the strength and ability of our Dad, we stretched our arms out as wide as we could, as if to emphasize our statement. We truly believed our Dad could lift a rock ‘THIS BIG’. And honestly, we still do ;)...read more.

Growing In Grace

     

    But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

      - 2 Peter 3:18 NIV 

   

    "As the garden grows, so shall the gardener." - Anonymous?

    I recently came across this quote and immediately knew what it meant.  Though I tried to find out the author, I was unable to locate a name associated with this truthful quote.  If there's anything that's been growing more than the garden this summer - its been the knowledge I've gained from the garden itself.  I've spent a lot of time researching, digging, weeding, studying and researching some more.  Each effort has yielded valuable results.  The more I dig deeper into the study of gardening, the more I realize how much more there is to know....read more.

Patience in Waiting

    Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming.  See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.

   - James 5:7 NIV

    I kneel in the soft brown earth of the garden and feel the warm moisture of the soil.  Gently, I tug a weed from its hiding place under the round leaves of a squash plant.  Looking up to survey my surroundings, I marvel at the growth of each plant.  'The kale is looking good...wonder when it will be ready?' I think to myself - and resume my task, pulling weeds, tending the garden, practicing patience until all of our crops are ready for harvest....read more.

The Power of Perseverance

     "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised."

          - Hebrews 10:36 NIV

    Years ago when I was a young teenager, my Mom gave me a fridge magnet - it was an image of two little kids building a sandcastle and on it was this quote: "Great works are performed by perseverance." I don't have that magnet anymore, but the words on that magnet I've never forgotten - nor the encouragement I receive from my Mom still to this day. Often times that simple quote will come back to me and ring ever more true. Perseverance is a powerful word - the meaning of the word is "steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success." I believe its one of the greatest virtues a person can have and one for which we often have the greatest need.... read more.

Uncontainable Joy

Courtesy, Pixabay

     Water drips from the eaves of the house as I look outside my window. Gray clouds fill the sky and pour out their drizzle on field and forest alike. Lichens and moss cling to the trees, adding to the rainforest-like atmosphere. The evergreens are heavy with moisture - looking like a wet sweater hung to dry as their branches droop lower and lower to the ground.  Autumn leaves whirl about, as if attempting to escape their inevitable landing on the puddled brown earth....read more.

    Our devotional archives page is currently under construction.  Check back soon - we'll be adding all your favorite past Wasell Gardens articles here.

 

    Thank you for visiting our archives page!

 

    Sincerely, Jessi Wasell