Have you ever noticed the soil in a well tended garden? You can tell whether a garden is cared for by the condition of the soil. A garden must be prepared by turning the soil, getting rid of all impurities and debris such as rocks and weeds. The soil must be cared for, and given time, a transformation happens. The dirt that once held rocks and weeds is now rich and dark, ready for planting.
I think our hearts are a lot like that soil. When left unworked, it can lay dormant, the darkness of sin and evil can settle in and harden our hearts, so that no good thing can be planted there.
“The Lord told the people of Judah and Jerusalem, ‘Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among the thorns. O people of Judah and Jerusalem, surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord…” (Jeremiah 4:3-4)
If our hearts are hardened, we cannot plant good seed. With sin embedded like thorny vines, our hearts cannot seek the goodness that God can bring us. Greed, idolatry, impure thoughts, selfishness, hatred; all these things choke our hearts like weeds. Only through seeking forgiveness can we till the soil.
How is the soil in your garden? Do you have rich, fertile soil for God to plant His goodness? Or is it time to take the plow to it?
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