A Heart Unattended is Like a Garden Overgrown with Weeds
Weeds are like sin in the garden of our hearts, and like weeds, when sin entangles our hearts we need to address its presence and potential power to overrun our lives, taking captive in its wake the potential fruit bearing parts of our lives, where God desires to use us for His glory.
The human heart is deceitful above all things and is in desperate need of the pruning effect of the word of God. Psalm 17:4 says that the Word keeps us from the paths of the destroyer. However, the worries of life have the potential to choke out the Word making it unfruitful.
If we allow it, sin will seize an opportunity in our lives just like the opportunistic qualities of the thistle. Thistle is prevalent throughout the landscape but as a gardener manages it consistently and chooses to declare all out war on the thistle, with great resolve, then overtime, it can be overcome by the the good soil and fruitful plants in the garden.
If thistle is left unattended like the sin in our own hearts it quickly grows to maturity producing more after its own kind. Romans 6:16 reminds us that if we yield to sin it will lead to death. But we have been set free from sin through Christ Jesus and as a result we can bear fruit as we go through the sanctification process.
Gardeners realize that it is not realistic to never have weeds in their gardens but the important thing is that one daily tends to the soil in order to spot encroaching, fast growing, resource sucking weeds.
How do we remove sin? The good news is we don't! Jesus already has by sacrificing himself! All we need to do is ask him! But like Jesus we must choose to be among God's people, suffering together, rather than continuing in our sin.
God's desire is that we would be a well watered, fruitful garden soaking in the sunshine so that our shoots will spread out over His garden!
So let's do this together! We need each other in order to be encouraged to flee from the sin that is lurking in our own hearts and minds, waiting for an opportunity to bring us under its rule.
We must flee from sin and I can find no better way than to work in the garden of my heart with the friends that God has placed in my life to challenge me to grow in areas that I never realized I needed growth and to highlight areas where I may need pruning, fertilizing or weeding.
The human heart is deceitful above all things and is in desperate need of the pruning effect of the word of God. Psalm 17:4 says that the Word keeps us from the paths of the destroyer. However, the worries of life have the potential to choke out the Word making it unfruitful.
If we allow it, sin will seize an opportunity in our lives just like the opportunistic qualities of the thistle. Thistle is prevalent throughout the landscape but as a gardener manages it consistently and chooses to declare all out war on the thistle, with great resolve, then overtime, it can be overcome by the the good soil and fruitful plants in the garden.
If thistle is left unattended like the sin in our own hearts it quickly grows to maturity producing more after its own kind. Romans 6:16 reminds us that if we yield to sin it will lead to death. But we have been set free from sin through Christ Jesus and as a result we can bear fruit as we go through the sanctification process.
Gardeners realize that it is not realistic to never have weeds in their gardens but the important thing is that one daily tends to the soil in order to spot encroaching, fast growing, resource sucking weeds.
Just like sin, weeds seize the opportunity of an unmanaged garden.
How do we remove sin? The good news is we don't! Jesus already has by sacrificing himself! All we need to do is ask him! But like Jesus we must choose to be among God's people, suffering together, rather than continuing in our sin.
God's desire is that we would be a well watered, fruitful garden soaking in the sunshine so that our shoots will spread out over His garden!
So let's do this together! We need each other in order to be encouraged to flee from the sin that is lurking in our own hearts and minds, waiting for an opportunity to bring us under its rule.
We must flee from sin and I can find no better way than to work in the garden of my heart with the friends that God has placed in my life to challenge me to grow in areas that I never realized I needed growth and to highlight areas where I may need pruning, fertilizing or weeding.
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. 2 Timothy 2:22 NLT
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