The believer's heart is Christ's garden. He bought it with his precious blood, and now he enters and claims it as his own.

A garden means separation. It's not common ground. It's not wilderness. There are walls. There are hedges. Would that we could see the wall of separation between the church and the world made broader and stronger! It makes one sad to hear Christians saying, "Well, there's no harm in this... there's no harm in that," getting as near to the world as possible. Grace is at a low ebb in that soul which can even raise the question of how far it may go in worldly conformity.

A garden is a place of beauty. It far surpasses the wild, uncultivated lands. And the genuine Christian must seek to be more excellent in his life than the best moralist. Why? Because Christ's garden ought to produce the best flowers in all the world. Even our best is poor compared with Christ's deservings—let us not put him off with withering and dwarf plants! The rarest, richest, choicest lilies and roses ought to bloom in the place which Jesus calls his own.

A garden is a place of growth. Saints are not meant to remain undeveloped, always mere buds and blossoms. We should grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Growth should be rapid where Jesus is the Husbandman, and the Holy Spirit the dew from above!

A garden is a place of retirement. So the Lord Jesus Christ would have us reserve our souls as a place in which he can manifest himself, as he does not unto the world. O that Christians were more retired, that they kept their hearts more closely shut up for Christ! We often worry and trouble ourselves, like Martha, with much serving, so that we have not the room for Christ that Mary had, and do not sit at his feet as we should.

The Lord grant the sweet showers of his grace to water his garden this day.