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Are you familiar with the term “the bucket list”? It is a term that is commonly referred to as the list of things people want to do before they die. I thought I would look at a few of the popular bucket lists. Here’s one that lists the top 12 things people want to do before they die: Source: http://www.themasterbucketlist.com/

See the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)
Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
See the Grand Canyon, Arizona
Swim with dolphins
Go on a Safari
Sleep under the stars
Go on a helicopter ride
Go on a road trip
Travel to seven continents
See Great Barrier Reef
Travel to Italy
Make a difference in someone’s life

Notice how all of these experiences with the exception of #12 (making a difference in someone’s life) is focused on pleasing oneself as opposed to pleasing God.

We can live our lives focused on ‘pleasure experiences’ or we can begin to conceive of a life focused on fulfilling the plans God has for us, as we commit to God’s divine purpose.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

I remember the time when God interrupted my vacation to sunny Cancun, Mexico with a little tour to open my heart. We had decided to go to Mexico for Christmas. I fell in love with a humble Mexican resort with a little Chapel on site where we would worship God on Christmas morning. One day, we decided to go on a tour to see the surrounding areas. I was expecting to see more beaches, nature and beauty, but I was sad to see some devastating poverty. I remember feeling my heart sink progressively, more and more, as I gazed at so much human suffering. You know that feeling of deep guilt; that’s what overcame me. We were touring around a little Mexican community in a golf cart (my husband and I and our children) and all around I saw people living in homes with their children that were falling apart. And all of these beautiful impoverished people were smiling at me! At one point I told my husband to stop the cart and please give the people smiling at us some money. This small act of charity was, I figure, one of the most meaningful things we did on that vacation.

Here’s something for you to think about…

The ‘bucket list’ is a human attempt to search for happiness and fulfillment, but usually experiences like travel, don’t truly fulfill us, although they may help us to relax and have some fun.

I’d like to suggest a concept for you to consider that will contribute to your lasting spiritual fulfillment, and a deep sense of joy :

Instead of coming up with a personal bucket list, let’s commit our lives to God and focus on building through the grace of Our Lord Jesus ‘A SPIRITUAL GARDEN’.

A spiritual garden is the result of a divine relationship with God. As we acknowledge that we are God’s people, and that we must live to serve God and give Him glory, we enter into a consecrated relationship, a communion of purpose where we become God’s disciples.

Jesus says, “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: 5-8

The spiritual garden is created as we live deeply connected to Our Lord. This garden is created one-day-at-a-time, in perpetuity, for the rest of our lives. And as we enter deeper and deeper into the tender embrace of God, we begin to think differently and we begin to build a ‘spiritual garden’ that reflects how God chooses to use our talents, relationships, gifts and time.

Let’s journey into this spiritual garden and with spiritual eyes let’s gaze at its beauty.

The spiritual garden begins when we express sorrow for our sins and ask God to forgive us. As we confess our sins and give God our broken and contrite heart, we enter into His divine embrace. Our relationship with God is restored as God forgives us and sends sends His grace upon us like the sun and gentle rain nourishing the soil in which we are to sow seeds of His love.

God’s forgiveness and grace begins to remove from our spiritual garden the weeds that render our souls ugly. This purification will often involve a re-prioritization of time and effort. What will we do with our Friday and Saturday nights? Will those nights make a difference in someone’s life? Will we use our leisure time exclusively to help our children find pleasure or will we strive to help them to develop characters that are humble and generous?

Until we begin forming a visual conceptualization of our spiritual lives, our spiritual garden will remain immature. But once we start investing time with Jesus, God Himself will show us what we need to do. We cannot fulfill the plans God has for us without understanding God’s Will and God’s Way.

Every spiritual garden has a ‘sacred handbook’ and that sacred book is the Bible. When we begin to learn God’s Word we will find the inspiration to understand what God wants us to do. One of the most important things we need to do is FORGIVE one another.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37

Imagine your spiritual garden with bridges that extend into the spiritual gardens created by God with other disciples. The gift of forgiveness builds bridges, enabling connections with others that help us to embrace God’s divine will and bear fruit.

Can you see the spiritual garden? Your character is like the fertile soil, nourished by God’s grace. God has provided the seeds of His holy inspiration. We have sown the seeds of God’s love into our spiritual garden and await the fruit to be born as we continue to remove the weeds in a continuous process of purification and dedication. God sends the Sun to shine on the seeds of God’s Holy Spirit sowed into the garden. God also sends the gentle rain, the life giving water, to water the seeds and slowly and surely the fruit of God’s love is born.

The spiritual garden we create through God’s grace is part of a larger divine masterpiece called the Kingdom of God. We are all called to contribute our time, talent and effort to doing good works. As our lives witness to the love of God through acts of compassion, forgiveness, understanding and charity, we help others to find faith, hope and love.

In difficult times, in times of sickness, betrayal, persecution, we must be like the tree that extends its roots deeper into the ground to find life giving water. Our faith is like the root of the tree that anchors the tree into the good soil and keeps nourishing it with needed nutrients. If the root is destroyed, the tree dies. Our faith must not fail if we want to bear fruit for God!

Think about your life. What does success look like? What do you want to accomplish? If all we want is to have travelled to places where we have enjoyed good food and have had some laughs and fun, will we have fulfilled the plans God has for us? Fun and true joy are not the same thing.

What is a successful Christian life? Will you commit to building a spiritual garden, one good deed at a time?

To me success is this…

Success begins with humility and contrition. I have humbled myself into recognizing how much I need God, how much I need His grace, His love, His Holy Spirit teaching me and guiding me every day of my life. I realize that alone I can do nothing, but with God anything is possible. I have confessed my sins and prayed for God’s forgiveness. I have also forgiven those that have hurt me, even those that would not say the healing words ‘I am sorry’. For the last ten years, on a daily basis I have walked the Way to Calvary to the place of Jesus’ crucifixion. I have discovered how much Jesus loves me and you and everyone, and I have discovered how much I love Him. I am so grateful for God’s love. I want so much to please Him. I realize that my desire to please Jesus is not the same as pleasing Him. Holy desire is a seed that must be watered and nourished by good choices. One of the most important things God taught me is that “love is a choice”.

I start each day thinking about what choices can I make today to make Jesus smile. I believe every day is a new day to do something meaningful to build our ‘spiritual garden’ our ‘spiritual life’. Every day, I pray for God’s grace upon all of us. I pray for God’s grace to nourish the little seeds of love and mercy in God’s many spiritual gardens. Every day, I pray for God’s grace to silence the forces of evil in our world. This is the equivalent to praying for the weeds that are choking the seeds of God’s holy inspiration to be removed from God’s kingdom. Most days, I like to study God’s Word so that I remain in perpetual contemplation of God’s Will and God’s Way. I am privileged to have had some financial resources to be able to promote God’s Word online, in the hope that I can help in some small way to inspire and strengthen someone else to bear fruit for God. I think of each spiritual reflection I share as a little good deed, a spiritual flower that someone may want to gaze upon intently. I try to do everything with God in mind; mostly my deeds are little but I try to do them with great love.

I encourage you to think about your life as more than a ‘bucket list’. Think about your spiritual garden. Think about your children as your gift to the world. Our children will one day grow up and maybe they will be exactly what we hoped they would be and maybe they won’t be, but what God will remember is what kind of example did we try to be. How often did we try to encourage them to be charitable, kind, compassionate and forgiving? How often did we pray for them? Children are always watching us. As we let go of anger and forgive, they learn to do the same. As we commit time and money to charitable causes we plant the seeds for them to do the same. As they see us praying and worshiping God, they learn to pray and praise God.

Each encounter we have with one another is a chance to make a little difference. It’s amazing how much just a smile can do! In the workplace where there can be so much gossip and negative energy, it’s refreshing to see people try to build one another up, helping each other and saying only positive things that uplift and enhance reputations.

Let’s commit to making memories that we will cherish forever and that God will smile upon. We can’t do those things on our own, but together with Jesus living in our hearts and with the help of one another we can do whatever God wills us to do.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

One of the most important things we need to do is to help one another come to repentance. The spiritual garden is born when we confess our sins. Once we give God our contrite heart, God forgives us, and smiles on our soul and our relationship with Him is restored. To be sorry for one’s sins is a grace received from God. If every single person on earth could receive this gift then every soul would one day enter Paradise.

Do you remember the criminal that was crucified next to Our Lord Jesus.

He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Luke 23:42

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

The mission of Jesus Christ is to save souls. His saving work was completed on the Cross and now our work continues as we strive to remember that many souls have yet to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

As one of the most important things you can do with your life, I encourage you to do this:

At three o’clock in your local time zone, stop and remember Your Saviour Jesus Christ dying on the cross for you, for 3pm is the time Jesus died on the Cross for our redemption. As you contemplate the Passion of Christ and God’s great love for you and for all people, pray for the mercy of Our Lord upon all souls. Pray that the Holy Spirit of God brings all souls to repentance so that all souls can one day be with God in Paradise.

Instead of building your ‘bucket list’, may Jesus be with you to help you to build a spiritual garden as proof of your love for God and mankind enabling you to experience deep joy and enduring satisfaction. Envision each good deed you do, every act of compassion and forgiveness, every prayer, every kind word as a little flower born out of God’s grace to give Him glory!

Please learn more about A Peaceful Revolution in the Name of Jesus Christ here.