daily devotions — Page 22

Your Compass

April 2, 2015 by Ahmee Bronaugh

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Jesus said to him,
I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life;
no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.
John 14:6

What’s true…or not…is not for us to decide. Truth is truth. The Lord helps make this simple by being that Truth. If ever we wonder what we should do, we have a Compass to point us in the right direction. Jesus said that He is “…The Way, The Truth, and The Life.” So, when we come across new teachings we need to be diligent in comparing this teaching to the Word of God that we know.

Anyone can look at the Bible and interpret it the way they want; but that doesn’t mean that you should blindly follow every interpretation of the Bible. Go to it and read for yourself. What does God say to you about what you are reading, and what does He say to you about the teaching you just heard?

There are concepts and things in the Bible that we KNOW for a fact. We would know it immediately if we were to hear a teaching that contradicted what we KNOW to be true from our time spent in the Word. I myself have encountered instances where someone was preaching and what they said directly went against what I KNOW to be true from the Bible. I have also heard teaching that I was uncertain about. But everything in my spirit screamed, “This is not correct…run! Run quickly!”

Pastors are awesome. They help teach us and guide us and share knowledge about the Word of God. However, your Pastor cannot KNOW the Word of God for you. You must KNOW it for yourself, so that you can live it and apply it and discern what you are being taught.

The Bible says that we should, “…not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world” (1 John 4:1).

There is only one Truth and one Way—the Way of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Lord, help us to have discerning minds. Let us not be critical or cynical, but discerning. We desire to be good stewards of Your Word and teaching. We do not desire to lead anyone astray. Help us to clearly interpret Your Word and spread nothing but Your Truth to one another that we may grow to be a truth-loving and -following people of God. Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: 1 john 4:1, ahmee bronaugh, daily devotions, discern teachings, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, I AM the Way the Truth and the Life, Jesus is our compass, Jesus Is the Way the Truth the Life, John 14:6, KNOW God's Word, Seeking Him devotional

Jesus is The WAY, The TRUTH, and The LIFE

April 1, 2015 by Ann Mwafulirwa

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Jesus answered, “I AM The Way and The Truth and The Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well.
From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”
John 14:6-7 NIV

The topic this week reminds me of a song we used to sing in my Sunday school days, here are the lyrics.

Very true! Without The Way? There is no going…where can you go if there is no way through? We cannot go to the Father except through Jesus. The Way give access to wherever we want to go. Therefore Jesus is the True Access to the many blessings the Lord has in store for us. We need to accept that Jesus is the only access and that sure way to everything.

Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand
and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God
Romans 5:2

Without The Truth? Wow, just having Christ in us and us in Him we are assured of having knowledge of the truth of the great things—for Christ knows all. For it means we know God, too!

If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well.
From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me?
The words I say to you I do not speak on My own authority.
Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, who is doing His work.
John 14: 7-10 NIV

Jesus is life. Without The Life? Well, “no Jesus=no life”. Accepting Him as the Lord and Savior gives us eternal life. We thank God for giving us life through Christ Jesus. Otherwise there was no one to pay for our sins if it was not for Christ.

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Lord, we thank You for giving us Christ Jesus to be our Way, our Truth, and our Life. We are able to access abundant blessings through Him. We are able to know Your Word through Him. And we have life through Him. He is a blessing to our lives. We pray for the grace to remain in Him and Him in us! We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: ann mwafulirwa, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, I Am the Way the Truth the Life, Jesus Is the Way the Truth the Life, John 1:4, john 14:6-7, john 14:7-10, Romans 5:2, Seeking Him devotional

The Map to Salvation

March 31, 2015 by laurapattillo

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Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where You are going,
so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.
If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well.
From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”
John 14:5-7

Have you ever been given directions on how to get somewhere? I have, and sometimes they are hard to follow. I get lost just trying to follow the GPS on my husband’s phone. If I don’t know the area, I will get lost with the simplest of directions. I have to have landmarks; they help me know exactly where I am going. If you give me directions, make sure to give me landmarks, too, to look for while I am driving.

I must know the way if I am going to get where I am going. Here on Earth, directions can be very confusing. Directions can especially be confusing when landmarks are similar, or the person giving them can confuse me if they start describing landmarks or road names when I have never been in the area. It is probably this way for a lot of people.

Yet, when it comes to eternal life, we have a great road map for directions! Jesus gave us this road map when He spent His last moments before the Crucifixion with His disciples. He told them that He is the way to God. He is the truth from God. Jesus brought God’s truth to us and gave us life.

And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.
It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive;
he was lost, and is found.
Luke 15:31-32

Remember the parable of the prodigal son? We are the prodigal sons and daughters of God. Just like the prodigal son in Jesus’s parable, we have wandered away…thinking that we know what is best for ourselves. And we mess up. We sin. We get away from God.

When we finally hit rock bottom, we come back. We are like the prodigal son who goes looking for his father’s help. We seek our Father’s (God’s) help in turning our life around. Jesus told us that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. By accepting Him, we are reconciled with God and given a new life. God rejoices when we come back to the True Way. We were once lost, but now we are found.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the way back to You. Thank You for the truth and the eternal life that became ours when Jesus sacrificed Himself on the Cross. Without it we would be forever lost. We rejoice when we find you again and You rejoice as well. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: daily devotions, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, I Am the Way the Truth the Life, Jesus Is the Way the Truth the Life, John 1:4, john 14:5-7, laura pattillo, Luke 15:31-32, Seeking Him devotional

You Are The Shepherd

March 29, 2015 by coleen hayden

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Jesus said to him,
I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life;
no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.

You are the Shepherd, I belong to You
When I walk on rough ground, You will guide me through
You know my name, You know my voice
Before I was born I was Your choice
Show me how to follow, Lord, keep me close to You
You are the Shepherd, I belong to You

Open eyes to see You are the Way
Open ears to hear You are the Truth
Open hearts to know You are the Lord of Life
For every one You hold a special plan

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: African Children's Choir, coleen hayden, daily devotions, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, I Am the Way the Truth the Life, Jesus Is the Way the Truth the Life, John 1:4, John 14:6, keith and krystyn getty, Seeking Him devotional, You Are The Shepherd

This Week…I AM The True Vine (John 15:1-8)

March 28, 2015 by coleen hayden

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I AM the True Vine, and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Remain in Me, as I also remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.
I AM the Vine; you are the branches.
If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;
apart from Me you can do nothing.
If you do not remain in Me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;
such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
If you remain in Me and My words remain in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
This is to My Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples
John 15:1-8

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, our sisters have shared some insight on these words spoken by our Lord…specifically regarding the statement He made, “I AM the True Vine.” Jesus gave us such clear direction AND encouragement as He made it very clear that it is vitally necessary to abide/remain…and that, apart from Him, we truly cannot do anything of worth or value. Here are a few highlights from the devotionals that Laura, Cynda, Ann, and Ahmee wrote to encourage us.

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In Bearing Fruit in the Vine, Ann asked some needful questions…(have you answered them?).

“This passage gives us an illustration of how bearing fruit is essential in the eyes of God. The Bible is talking of a garden that is being taken care of by God Himself. And Jesus said “I AM the True Vine…”. This means there is another vine that is not true and has not been planted not by God.

As Christians we need to understand which garden we belong to—
is it God’s or the other garden?

We are told “you are the branches.” Branches bear the fruit; and so if a branch is not producing fruit, then it must be cut off. If we do bear fruit, we are true branches. If we do not, then we are not true branches. Which side of the coin are we?”

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In God the Gardener, Laura made the comparison between a person tending the garden in their yard—purging and pruning—and God as He cares for us, the branches.

“Just as a gardener works to keep their garden beautiful, so does God in His relationship with us. He points out the things that we need to cut off and get rid of in order to strengthen our relationship with Him. The stronger we are in God the more fruitful we are in His Spirit. We are the branches of God’s beautiful Creation—His own garden. God makes us (the branches on His vine) stronger through our blessings and the hardships He guides us through.”

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In Just Hanging Out, Cynda reminded us that as we abide we are able to bear fruit…because of the Vine.

“Philippians 4:13 AMP (one of my favorite verses) tells us:

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me
[I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him
Who infuses inner strength into me;
I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].

Christ empowers me! And when I abide in Him, I have full access to all His power. The fruit will be a natural result. I like the way David Guzik * puts it: ‘Fruit bearing is impossible without abiding; but it is inevitable with abiding.’ Philippians 1:11 HCSB tells us when we hang out with Jesus we are ‘…filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.’

We have two choices then: either hang out with Jesus or go it on our own. If we hang out with Jesus, fruit comes naturally. If we go it on our own, we will continue to struggle and begin to wither. Not much of a choice really, is it?”

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In Fellowship Through The Vine, Ahmee addressed the difference between relationship and fellowship.

“I pondered the difference between relationship and fellowship. Relationship, although very basic, is a distinguishing factor of Christianity. (Without a dictionary in hand) I concluded that it is possible to have a relationship with someone, but not be in fellowship with them. And it seems very unlikely, if even at all possible, to be in fellowship with someone and not have a relationship with them.

But now, I have my NLT dictionary/concordance handy and have the proper definitions:

Relationship (n): a state of affairs existing between those having relations or dealings
Fellowship (n): friendship; association; company; partnership

Stay connected to Jesus (via the word, prayer, etc.) and this will be evident in your life. We have to have our Life Source in order to do anything productive. We need more than just a mere relationship…we have to have that fellowship…that DEEP connection.

So, take a look at your relationship with God…
Are you in a relationship only? Or is there fellowship?”

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Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: attached to the Vine, bearing fruit, branches, coleen hayden, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, I AM the True Vine, Jesus IS the True Vine, john 15:1-8, purged, Seeking Him devotional

Just Hanging Out

March 26, 2015 by cynda cottrill

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Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine,
so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
I AM the Vine, you are the branches;
he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit,
for apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:4 and 5 NASB

I wonder if you are like me…. When I read a passage like this one, I start to fret.

What if I am not producing enough fruit?
What if I need to be doing something else?
What if I am not producing ANY fruit? How do I start?
What if it’s not the right kind of fruit? How do I know?

What if, what if, what if!!!

I was reading commentaries on this passage and I learned so many amazing things! But a commentary written by Chuck Smith included this passage that seemed to answer all my ‘what ifs?’.

I have one purpose—to produce fruit. If we are hanging out with Jesus, the fruit will come naturally! Whewwww! That’s a big relief. I don’t need to do more or be more. I just need to hang out with Jesus more (“abide in Me…”) and let the Holy Spirit direct me. Anything I try to do on my own is going to be a useless struggle and is destined to fail. It would be “forced fruit.” I am powerless on my own.

Philippians 4:13 AMP (one of my favorite verses) tells us:

Christ empowers me! And when I abide in Him, I have full access to all His power. The fruit will be a natural result. I like the way David Guzik * puts it: “Fruit bearing is impossible without abiding; but it is inevitable with abiding.” Philippians 1:11 HCSB tells us when we hang out with Jesus we are “…filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.” John 8:31 AMP reminds us “If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.”

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Lord, I want to spend more time with You so that bearing fruit comes naturally. I don’t want to offer You forced fruits from my own labors. When I begin to fret, remind me relax and hang out with You. May Your plans be my plans. Help me hear Your voice and follow Your lead. In Jesus’ name – Amen, It Is So!

* here is a link to David Guzik’s article on John chapter 15.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: abide, abide in the vine, Chuck Smith, cynda cottrill, daily devotions, david guzik, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, I AM the Vine, Jesus IS the True Vine, john 15:1-8, john 8:31, philippians 1:11, Philippians 4:13, Seeking Him devotional

Fellowship Through The Vine

March 25, 2015 by Ahmee Bronaugh

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I AM the Vine; you are the branches.
If a man remains in Me and I in him,
he will bear much fruit;
apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5

Listening to K-LOVE as I drove home from work yesterday, something sparked a conversation with God about the difference between relationship and fellowship with the Lord. I felt I was being told that I should write about this for my devotional…to which I promptly responded that I didn’t know what the topic is this week, but I’d see if it fit in. Silly me, right? (If the Holy Spirit tells you to do something, I do believe He knows what He is talking about.)

The conversation continued. I pondered the difference between relationship and fellowship. Relationship, although very basic, is a distinguishing factor of Christianity. (Without a dictionary in hand) I concluded that it is possible to have a relationship with someone, but not be in fellowship with them. And it seems very unlikely, if even at all possible, to be in fellowship with someone and not have a relationship with them.

But now, I have my NLT dictionary/concordance handy and have the proper definitions:

Relationship (n): a state of affairs existing between those having relations or dealings
Fellowship (n): friendship; association; company; partnership

I was surprised at how few references to these words there were in the NLT, but then I got to thinking. The Bible in its entirety gives us instructions on how to have a proper relationship with God and others. It gives us information on how God loves us, about His character, and His ultimate plan. All of this ties into our relationship with God.

You can have a relationship with just about anyone. You have a relationship with your boss at work, your coworkers, the cashier that scans your groceries every week, the women in your bible study…,etc. The list is never ending. (We would likely refer to most of these people as acquaintances.) However, you likely do not have fellowship with all those people. You CAN, but odds are you don’t. Fellowship is far more deliberate than relationship; it doesn’t just happen without effort.

Jesus made it simple for us. He said,
“I AM the Vine; you are the branches.
If a man remains in Me and I in him [fellowship],
he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 emphasis mine

So, take a look at your relationship with God…
Are you in a relationship only? Or is there fellowship?

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Lord, help me to maintain fellowship with You. You are my Life Source and I need You for everything that I do. Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: ahmee bronaugh, daily devotions, Fellowship with the Vine, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, I AM the True Vine, Jesus IS the True Vine, John 15:5, relationship vs. fellowship, Seeking Him devotional

Bearing Fruit in the Vine

March 24, 2015 by Ann Mwafulirwa

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This passage gives us an illustration of how bearing fruit is essential in the eyes of God. The Bible is talking of a garden that is being taken care of by God Himself. And Jesus said “I AM the True Vine…”. This means there is another vine that is not true and has not been planted not by God.

As Christians we need to understand which garden we belong to—
is it God’s or the other garden?

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness,
so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky,
over the livestock and all the wild animals,
and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in His own image,
in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.
God blessed them and said to them,
“Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky
and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Genesis 1:26-28

We are created to bear fruit and win souls to Christ. If we don’t do that, we are not true branches and the Bible says in Proverbs 11:30 “…He who wins souls is wise.” Therefore, as Christians, and believers, and followers of Christ, we are to win souls for it to be accounted that we are wise. Failing to win souls, which is then the opposite of wise, would be shame in the eyes of God.

As branches cannot stand on their own unless they are attached to the vine so shall we remain attached to Christ (and Him to us) so that we can bear fruit.

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Dear Lord, we thank You for being our Good Gardener. And we thank Christ for being our True Vine. Dear Lord, I pray for Your grace to be sufficient in me that I remain to be a true branch and bear fruit. You created me, Lord, for this purpose—let it be fulfilled in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: ann mwafulirwa, branches bear fruit, cut off, daily devotions, genesis 1:26-28, I AM the True Vine, Jesus IS the True Vine, john 15:1-8, proverbs 11:30, prune, Seeking Him devotional

God the Gardener

March 23, 2015 by laurapattillo

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Just reading these verses makes me think of everyone who is blessed with a green thumb. (I know I have not been blessed with one.) I can’t even get a potted plant to survive past a week. It is usually dead in just a day or two. I definitely do not have a green thumb.

People who love to grow gardens know exactly what it takes to keep them growing. They tend to it. They water it. They weed out the parts that are not growing. They prune and trim it to keep their gardens growing beautifully among the rest of God’s beautiful Creation.

Just as a gardener works to keep their garden beautiful, so does God in His relationship with us. He points out the things that we need to cut off and get rid of in order to strengthen our relationship with Him. The stronger we are in God the more fruitful we are in His Spirit. We are the branches of God’s beautiful Creation—His own garden. God makes us (the branches on His vine) stronger through our blessings and the hardships He guides us through.

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Dear Heavenly Father, we are part of Your spiritual garden. We are the branches on Your vine that produce the fruit of Your Spirit. Without remaining in You, we would snap off the vine and be forever lost. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: abide, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, I AM the True Vine, Jesus IS the True Vine, john15:1-8, laura pattillo, prune, Seeking Him devotional

(When You) Abide In Me

March 22, 2015 by coleen hayden

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I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.
Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away;
and every branch that bears fruit,
He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Abide in Me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine,
so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
I AM the Vine, you are the branches;
he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit,
for apart from Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up;
and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit,
and so prove to be My disciples.
Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you;
abide in My love.
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love;
just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you,
and that your joy may be made full.

When you abide in me
Then I’ll abide in you
My words in your heart
Child, believe
That when you seek My face
And make Me your first love
Then all of the rest
Will be taken care of

Don’t worry what the future may hold
For I have overcome the world
And all these things I speak
Our solemn joy may be complete
When you abide

Kristen Chenoweth
songwriter unknown

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: abide in the vine, bear fruit, coleen hayden, daily devotions, GCH, Girlfriends Coffee Hour, I AM the True Vine, Jesus IS the True Vine, john 15:1-11, John 15:5-8, kristen chenoweth, Seeking Him devotional

Your Compass

There is only one Truth and one Way—the Way of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is The WAY, The TRUTH, and The LIFE

The Map to Salvation

You Are The Shepherd

This Week…I AM The True Vine (John 15:1-8)

As Christians we need to understand which garden we belong to—
is it God’s or the other garden?

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❦

❦

❦

Just Hanging Out

What if, what if, what if!!!

Fellowship Through The Vine

Bearing Fruit in the Vine

As Christians we need to understand which garden we belong to—
is it God’s or the other garden?

God the Gardener

(When You) Abide In Me

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There is only one Truth and one Way—the Way of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As Christians we need to understand which garden we belong to— is it God’s or the other garden?

❦

❦

❦

❦

What if, what if, what if!!!

As Christians we need to understand which garden we belong to— is it God’s or the other garden?

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As Christians we need to understand which garden we belong to—
is it God’s or the other garden?

As Christians we need to understand which garden we belong to—
is it God’s or the other garden?