The Garden of Our Hearts

Gardening was not always my labor of love, I once considered it just plain labor! =-) I never expected to receive anything out of gardening... I only started it, just to be doing something for The Lord... I planted a flower bed around the church sign. And, from that day on, I was hooked! I believe now that God led me to it... like He placed Adam and Eve in the garden, for fellowship/relationship with Him. And for me, instruction also... From the minute I started pulling weeds, digging in the dirt, and placing the delicate blooms in the ground. The Lord started speaking to me. Whether it was in the garden with Him, or reading His word, the scriptures came alive for me! As those wonderful, or wonder-filled, scriptures started coming to life, I was in awe of the intricacies of His beautiful creations!! Soon I was Planting and Praising God for what He was doing in my heart and life! I read just this morning that... “God's glory shines through His creations.” And, Psalms 19:1 says The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. As I was saying... The beauty of God's creation was suddenly so sacred to me! The complexity of His creation leaves me in awe. How can I keep from praising and thanking Him for it!? I started noticing the detail of each leaf, bloom, and vegetable. The colors, the smells, the purpose for each created plant ...and insect. Each was/is just amazing to me! My mom always said that she found so much peace when she was on a riverbank somewhere, fishing. But for me, it's sitting, or kneeling in the dirt somewhere planting in hopes of finding beauty someday! And, Hopeful I'll find peace through fellowship with my Lord. I am, by no means, a “master gardener”, BUT I know the master gardener! And He, Jesus, has taught me so much through gardening! Gardening is, or can be, labor intensive. There are several things you have to do to prepare the soil for seed or plants... *First you must break up or turn over the ground...Tilling, or as some might know it cultivating, or plowing up the ground... Luke 9:62 says...And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. It's true, once you put your hand to the “plow”, you can't look back... I learned this the hard way, so I will share it with you! (The picture of the yellow and white machine...that's a Tiller, or a modern day plow). I use it to break up or “turn over” the soil in my garden. Without a tiller, you have to use a shovel and it's a lot more work! When you use the tiller, you have to hold onto the it with both hands! Especially if the ground is hard... If I looked back, the tiller would “walk” me right into a fence or wall and hurt me, not to mention damage property! BUT If I will stand my ground, dig in my heels, and hold on tightly, the tiller will do the work for me, and dig deep, to turn the rich soil and make it a good place for roots of plants to spread and grow to produce beautiful flowers or fruits! There's a lesson in this... simple, yet so profound! Trust God and just keep moving in the right direction. Dig in your heels, and let God break up the “fallowed ground” of your heart, so that it can receive the seed that will produce beautiful, long lasting blooms! Trusting God for A bountiful harvest! Ps 46:10...Be still, and know that I am God: Hosea 10:12 says, Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. If we will let God “break up our fallowed ground”, He will plant beautiful things in the garden of our hearts and we will be amazed at His handiwork! *The second step to planting is to pick, and plant the right seeds. There are instructions on the backs of seed packages, that tell you the right time of year, location, and soil conditions to plant in. The word of God is that good seed that we need to plant in our hearts garden! Planted as instructed, we will reap a bountiful harvest of good gifts and God's Blessings!! But, God's word tells us that, as a sower we must be aware that the spiritual seeds we sow, may/may not fall on good ground... Matt 13:3-8 (from The Message Bible) says... A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. (BUT) Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his (the sower's) wildest dreams. SO, Just as it's important to pick, and plant, the right seed, in the right location, and in good soil...so it is, that we search out and study the truths in God's word, Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. When the right seeds are planted in the garden of our hearts, Jesus will water & shine down in our heart's garden, producing the most beautiful fruits of His righteousness! Luke 6:45 (The Message Bible) says...A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart...For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Matt 13:23"The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams." *The next step, in planting, is water! Water is used to nourish and germinate the seed. This is a very important step! B/C without water, nothing would grow. The seed lies dormant. The water opens the seed, that then sprouts, and breaks through the soil. There is nothing like a refreshing drink of water when you are hot and tired! It makes you come alive! You can survive without food for weeks or even months, but to go without water for even just one day, would surely be a danger to our health! Especially in the heat. Spiritually speaking, we need the refreshing of living water in our lives everyday also. Just as the seed needs water to open and reveal what's inside, we need the waters of God's spirit to reveal His beauty inside our hearts garden! Oh, I get excited when we talk about the Living Waters!! B/C that's God's spirit, the precious gift of the Holy Ghost!! And, I'm so thankful for God's gift to me! The refreshing of His spirit has kept me from withering in the heat of fiery trials, and thirsting in the deserts of loneliness, depression, and despair! ...And, just think ...these waters of refreshing are only one prayer away! Nehemiah 9:20 NIV You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: Is 58:11...and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring... whose waters fail not. Jer 31:12...and their soul shall be as a watered garden... Rev. 22:17...And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. *Now, the last step in gardening ...weeding, and keeping out pests!! (Now, This is where the real work begins!=-) It's also called Preventative Maintenance, P.M., as My pastor calls it, it's an everyday thing! It is important to keep the garden tended, daily! The weeds and pests can quickly take over a garden if it's not properly maintained. Weeds with deep roots, and hungry pests will damage or kill the tender seedlings (and full grown plants too), if they're not protected. Therefore producing no beautiful blooms or juicy fruit or vegetables... Our heart's garden, must be tended daily also...Else it will be ravaged, damaged, and unfruitful. Luke 6:43-45(The Message Bible) "You don't get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree... It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.” A sure way to weed and tend to your hearts garden is to pray each day as David did in... Ps 51:10-12& 17(NIV)... Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me...My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart... I'd say, that's a good way of weeding out the garden of our hearts! So, If the enemy of your soul has ravaged your garden, and weeds have tried to take over your heart...Now is the time to clear it out, and start over, planting more good seeds! Jer 1:10 (The Message Bible) ...Your job is to pull up and tear down, take apart and demolish, And then start over, building and planting." Gardening is a continual process. There are different types of plants, for different times of the year, making it a year round enjoyment (or labor, however you see it!?=-) And, so our walk with God! We have to be planting His word and watching to be sure the seedlings stay clear of anything that would hinder their growth in our heart's garden. Gloria Gaither said this...“God has promised that if we harvest well with the tools of thanksgiving, there will be seeds for planting in the spring!” The garden of our hearts is a beautiful place of God's making! We can trust Him to make us what we need to be, and so yielded in our place, we will continue to grow all our days!