Ps Carla begins a new series of messages entitled 'Life is a Garden'. The first message is subtitled 'Wilderness to Promised Land'. All through scripture from Genesis to the New Testament we find numerous references to gardens, agriculture, seed time and harvest (we reap what we sow).

Today Carla speaks about how in Genesis 2:8, Our Father God planted a garden. NIV verses..."Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed". In verse 15, God told Adam to work the garden and care for it "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it".

The Bible says God planted and Ps Carla envisages God crouching down putting seeds into the ground, perhaps with dirty hands. So the Bible is full of imagery around gardening, all this relating to our relationship with God, who is the planter & cultivator of both creation and of our hearts.

Ps Carla explains how the story of the Israelites who eventually feed not from manna & quail, but planted crops is similar. No longer was God going to rain down provision but to do something different. He was saying now you need to work the land and care for it. The Israelites had come into a place where the principle of seed time and harvest were put in motion.

Ps Carla leaves us with thoughts on three key seeds we have the ability to sow daily

• Speech - how we speak really matters. Proverbs 19:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat of its fruits.
• Tears - Psalm 126:5 (NIV) says "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy". We may be moved to tears in our prayers of closeness to our Lord...
• Energy or money or capabilities - God loves a cheerful giver, all that we have is His anyway!