Garden of His Delight

Unlock the golden gate

And make Your way

Into the garden of my heart.

None but You 

Possess the key

That gains You sacred access.

I hear Your gentle steps

Upon the rustling brush—

The rush of foxes chased away,

So we may have undisturbed communion—

Fellowship that drips with the sweetness

Of the honey of Your wisdom

That You impart to me. 

We walk together

Hand in hand

Through glistening dew.

The Spirit’s Wind

Envelops us,

Delights You with 

The fragrance of the flowers

Growing just for Your enjoyment.

Budding love has yielded fruit,

The Fruit of Love--

Obedience.

Endless pleasure greets You

In this golden, peaceful haven.

Petal-laden pathways,

Branches bursting blossoms,

A footbridge spanning bubbling brooks

Sparkling streams to dip our toes in.

Angelic aids have laid

A meal of heaven’s finest foods.

Beloved, let me hear

The secrets of Your heart

And know You

As I’m fully known. 

-- Charity Lacroix

"You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain." (Son 4:12 NIV)

"I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, friends, and drink; drink your fill of love." (Son 5:1 NIV)

"Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread everywhere. Let my beloved come into his garden and taste its choice fruits." (Son 4:16 NIV)

Attribution notice: Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.

Image credit: The Bloom of Spring artwork on this post was created by my daughter, Charity Lacroix.

Author's note:  The poems in this blog were written by my children, ages thirteen through twenty-three. The Why This Blog post explains how the Lord inspired these poems in answer to a prayer during illness.  I also recommend visiting my children's blog, A Brush with Life, where you will also find beautiful art they have drawn for the glory of God. You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Jesus?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International . He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Fruit in Every Season

When Jesus comes looking for fruit on our tree,
Regardless of the season that it may be,
May He find our branches with something to offer --
Something delightful to Him and the Father.

Love is the first fruit the Lord wants to find.
Is this at the root of our acts toward mankind?
And do we obey Him because “it’s required”?
Or does love compel us to seek what’s desired?

Joy follows second as fruit for the Groom.
It’s a choice that we make in defiance of gloom.
When clouds overshadow to darken our days,
He still wants to find us exuding joy’s rays.

What about peace, the anchor in shaking,
When all is tumultuous, unstable, and quaking?
At all times we ought to have peace in our soul,
Especially when things get out of control

Then there is patience. When we are short-tempered,
We fail in this fruit and haven’t remembered
That frustration and anger do not bring about
The righteousness of God in any amount.

Kindness is something the poor and the weak,
With gazes imploring do hope for and seek.
There may be some sacrifice made on our part,
But really, God’s looking for a cheerful heart.

The sweet fruit of goodness is equally needed
It truly affects the way others are treated.
All that comes forth from our lives as our deeds
Reveals what we’ve laid up within as the seeds.

Now let not the Lord find us failing the test
Whenever He checks for the fruit faithfulness.
Will we keep all our promises, stand by our word?
Pressing ahead, though it’s hard to endure?

The Gardener expects just as much to discover
The fruit gentleness as He would any other.
Look through His eyes at the simple and slow.
Then will compassion from Him through us flow.

Last but not least, do we bear self-control?
We can’t leave it out, for it makes our tree whole.
Our wills must be fully submitted to Christ
For if they take charge, we will pay a great price.

-- Charity Lacroix, age 18, August, 2016

Related Scriptures:
“…so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…” (Col 1:10)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Gal 5:22-23)

"Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, 'May no one ever eat fruit from you again!' And His disciples were listening." (Mar 11:13-14)

"Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, 'No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.' And at once the fig tree withered." (Mat 21:19)

"Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Rev 22:1-2)

"By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing." (Eze 47:12)

"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." (Joh 15:1-2)

"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." (Joh 15:4-6)

Related articles:
Fruit in Every Season (article)
Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit: What's the Difference?
Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work
Multiplication

More children's poems:
Perfect for the King
Overflowing Blessings
Use Your Talents
The Sheep and the Goats
Reward for the Overcomer
Vessel for the Master
Connected to the Vine
Make Your Bride Ready

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  The poems in this blog were written by my children, ages seven through fourteen. The "Why This Blog" post explains how the Lord inspired these poems in answer to a prayer during illness. Poems on this site may be copied and used for non-commercial purposes, as long as proper credit and backlink to this blog is given.  No commercial use allowed without express permission from author.  I also recommend visiting my children's blog, A Brush with Life, where you will also find beautiful art they have drawn for the glory of God. You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Perfect for the King

 Perfect for the King
Is what I want to be.
Shining with the brilliance
That comes from purity.

I want my wedding gown
Perfect for the Groom.
A stainless, spotless white,
For He is coming soon.

I want my love for Him
Surpassing all the seas,
Deeper than the depths,
Just as He’s loved me.

I want my heart so pure,
Like gold deep down inside.
Perfect for the King,
His consecrated Bride.

I want my every thought
Directed towards the throne.
Heavenly and pure
And from my God alone.

I want to serve the Lord
And be an offering.
Selfless through and through,
Perfect for the King.

Bearing fruit in season,
Honoring His name
Is what I want to do.
Be found without a stain.

I want my life in line,
So on my wedding day,
All impurities
Will have been washed away.


-- Charity Lacroix, girl, age 14

"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." (Joh 15:1-2)

"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (Joh 15:12-13)

"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another." (Joh 15:16-17)

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Mat 5:8)

"For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin." (2Co 11:2)

"And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (1Jo 3:3)

More of our children's poems:

Reward of the Overcomer

Feeling Your Love
A.S.K.
Going Through the Valley
Strangers
Like a Child
The Millennium
The Rider

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  The poems in this blog were written by my children, ages seven through fourteen. The "Why This Blog" post explains how the Lord inspired these poems in answer to a prayer during illness. I also recommend visiting my children's blog, A Brush with Life, where you will also find beautiful art they have drawn for the glory of God.You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  The painting "Purity" © 2012 is by Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist. Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.