Heart Soil

Heart Soil

Hebrews 6: ⁷ God blesses the soil which drinks in the rain that often falls on it and which grows plants that are useful to those for whom it is cultivated. ⁸ But if it grows thorns and weeds, it is worth nothing; it is in danger of being cursed by God and will be destroyed by fire.

 

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“Ha, ha, you don’t even know how to curse right” were the words that fueled me to learn how to curse “right.” I practiced my foul language and got it down to a science. After a while, I was listening t how comedians used this language in jokes. I soaked in every word I could listen to.

 

• The more garbage I listened to, the more desensitized I became.
• I used foul language to joke, but eventually used it to increase the level of an argument.
• I wound up expressing frustration with foul language and brushed it off to “everyone else uses it.”

 

Paul the assumed writer, gives two types of soil, one that grows useful plants and one that grows thorns and weeds. Rather than looking at this as farming tips, Paul may have been speaking about the condition of the heart.

 

My Observations

• Things that are placed in my heart will grow into something good or something terrible.
• GOD wants to place HIS word in my heart, but if I have filled it with the garbage of the world, there will be no room for HIM to live.
• GOD gets excited when I listen to HIM and HE grows “plants that are useful” from me listening to HIM.

 

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control are all things that can grow from my heart when I listen to GOD. I mean, when I follow HIS ways, the fruit of the SPIRIT overflows from my heart.  Unfortunately, the opposite happens when I purposefully disobey HIM.

 

When I put the world in my heart, it grows greed, hatred, lust, blame and unhealthy self-consciousness that reverberates through all I do. Lies appear to be real and the false Utopia of the world crashes down on me. BUT GOD cleans my heart and cultivates a place where HE can live and grow me. I am glad GOD chooses to stay with me.

 

Challenge

• What soil sticks out to you from the writer?
• Have you ever wanted to stop a behavior, but didn’t see how to?
• Have you checked your heart to see if you have fallen?
• Will you allow GOD to cleanse your heart HIS way so you can bear fruit for HIM today?

Look at the Planter

Amos 9: ¹³ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,

“when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman
    and the planter by the one treading grapes.
New wine will drip from the mountains
    and flow from all the hills,
¹⁴     and I will bring my people Israel back from exile.

“They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.
    They will plant vineyards and drink their wine;
    they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
¹⁵ I will plant Israel in their own land,
    never again to be uprooted
    from the land I have given them,”

says the Lord your God.

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During the demolition of our garage, I remember tossing junk on the ground next to our neighbor’s garage. It was a sliver of land and one part had sludge poured over it to control weeds. I found a wet bag of fertilizer and I tossed it on one part of the land.

Years later, as I was trying to get my farming merit badge, I planted a few tomato plants in the area between the two garages. They grew into very monstrous plants producing enough tomatoes to give to all our neighbors!

• Sometimes the ground I’m working on seems fruitless.
• Sometimes the situation I’m in seems hopeless.
• Sometimes the problems in life seem like sludge poured over me.

I could not see what was going on. Summer then winter then summer again and I never realized what was going on with the small space. In fact so many years had passed that I forgot where the sludge had been poured and where it had stopped. I planted in the area that was fertile and rich with nutrients. GOD had restored the land.

• GOD wants to restore me even when I cannot see it.
• GOD wants me to see HIS salvation even when I am not looking for it.
• GOD wants me to bear fruit so HE makes the ground fertile enough to do so.

Sometimes I think I have to work “so” hard to please GOD. I mean I have to stop sinning, go to church, give, serve, be good all while working on twenty other things. GOD says to me “Take MY yoke upon you and learn of ME all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

HE seeks to restore me daily and forgives me of all of yesterday’s sins. HE allows me to rebuild the city I have ruined and prepares a place where fruit can be bared!

• Do you need restoration?
• Do you think you need to work hard at serving GOD?
• Can you relax and let GOD make your land fertile?
• Will you slow down enough to listen to the most HIGH GOD and let HIM restore you HIS way?