Sometimes it can seem unattainable to live our lives on this earth as a true disciple. That is, someone who truly denies themselves and takes up their cross daily. But, Jesus gave us clear expectations when it comes to being one of His disciples:

Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

The steps to being a disciple are simple, but they are not formulaic. As soon as we lose sight of Jesus or remove ourselves from abiding with Him, we can all find ourselves drifting away from our faith and longing to be satisfied elsewhere.

Our soul is constantly looking for satisfaction and fulfillment. And because of the carnal nature, there is a daily war taking place between our flesh (or soul desires) and the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:17). And so, we must sow to the Spirit constantly, and in turn, this pleases God and positions us for intimate relationship and great reward (Romans 8:8, Galatians 6:8).

It’s only through finding our pleasure and delight in God that we can truly live the abundant life He has destined for us.

In the beginning God gave mankind their first job description; tending and keeping the garden.

Genesis 2:15 – 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

God the Father creates and prepares everything for His children then puts them in position to enjoy and partake in the pleasure and delight of the garden as well as everything in it.

Eden: Pleasure and delight

‘In this place of “tending and keeping” we can find our fulfillment and fascination in all we do with and for the Lord.’

Who does not want to live a life full of wonder and excitement? Nobody desires to live a mundane life. We can live captivated by His wonder when we are experiencing His love, kindness, mercy, grace, and presence. Personally, I am simply fascinated by how much God constantly loves and pursues me.

Wonder defined:

To think or speculate curiously. To be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe. To marvel. Something strange or surprising, astonishment or admiration. The excited emotion of being surprised, or when you discover something that puzzled you. A miraculous deed or event. A remarkable phenomenon.

The Lord loves to surprise, amaze, and astonish us daily! And all of us should be somewhat puzzled by the incredible awesomeness of His existence and His creation. But it’s the discovery of who He is & what He does (and even how He does it), that brings incredible emotion and amazement to our lives.

Psalm 37:3 – Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

God wants you to be confident, bold, and secure in His love and faithfulness over your life.

In turn, this love and confidence will cause you to work hard at bringing that same love and light to others. The resulting work will make and prepare positive outcomes, even when you’re being pressed and squeezed from all sides. You will become an offering to God and others.

The result of all of this will be a Godly and content life that is settled and at peace, for we will be established in all things.

The garden of today is full of thorns, thistles, darkness, and an enemy that wants to completely destroy it. It’s been tainted with sin and deception. But God has an answer, and we are it! It’s time to tend, keep, trust, do, dwell, and feed. And all the while, there is still as much pleasure and delight as there ever was.

“Renew your wonder, and you will find your hunger.

Find your hunger, and you will never lose your wonder!”