In the Garden of My Heart (Day 3 from Cleaning Thoughts)

 When Jesse spoke to the people, He often used parables or stories to creat visual pictures in the mind of the listeners. This morning, the parable of the sower became real to me. Until now, I had been like the one who receives the seed that was sown among the thorns. Jesus explained it this way: “Now he who receives seed sown amount thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundred-fold, some sixty, some thirty”(Matthew 13:22-23, NJKV).

  I had lost sight of the real message of this parable and had allowed the adversary to sow his seeds in the garden of my heart. The time I had spent being upset with my family should have been used to share with them how God had given the increase.

   As I sat there, tears flooding my eyes, I repented for what I had done and asked the Lord to pull the thorns I had allowed to grow from my heart. The garden became for me a living parable, and as they were removed, the good ground was restored, and now, His seeds of love, forgiveness and joy were restored and allowed to grow. there has been many other gardens since then, but none as bountiful as the lessons I learned that day. Every time I prepared a meal with the food I canned, I smile and offered a silent prayer of thanksgiving for all that He had taught me.

   If you are reading this and the Lord quickens a time in your life when you have allowed the adversary to sow his seed into your heart, now is the time to pull them out. Jesus taught us another parable in Luke 13:6-9 (NKJV) about a time in Israel’s history when the children of God had failed to produce spiritual fruit in their lives. In this parable, Jesus is the keeper of the vineyard, who shows us how God gives wayward humanity another chance. Allow the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to loosen the soil around your heart, that Jesus may remove the weeds that have grown there and replace them with His seeds planted in good ground. It is time to begin to produce good fruit.

   A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, “Look, for the three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and fine none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?” But he answered and said to him, “Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilizer it.And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.”

   Let’s pray together, @Dear Lord Jesus, I ask You to come into my heart and to weed out all that is not of You. Help me to only speak words of love and encouragement, to extend to others the same forgiveness and mercy You have shown me. May I always be mindful to do all things as unto the Lord and not unto the praises of man that others may see the Christ in me. It is in Your name we pray.”