Inspired by . . .

Inspired by . . . Preparing the Soil

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Ephesians 3:14-19

 

If the warm weather and sunny days haven't done it for you, then certainly the date on the calendar should have you thinking Spring! If you're like me then you've spent the last several months planning and dreaming about your spring garden – it's finally time to prepare the soil! Every gardener knows that good soil preparation is key to how the seed (or plants) will grow, thrive and produce a harvest.

In the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, Jesus compares God's word to a seed.

 “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

So how do we prepare the soil of our hearts to receive God's word, so that it will grow, produce fruit and ultimately a bountiful harvest?

 

Textured with Kim's organic texture

 

Just as an organic fertilizer will prepare the soil to receive the seed, Christ's love, the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, prepares our hearts to received God's word.

"The seed looks very sharp," she said shrinkingly. "Won't it hurt if you put it into my heart?"

He answered gently, "It is so sharp that it slips in very quickly. But, Much-Afraid, I have already warned you that Love and Pain go together, for a time at least. If you would know Love, you must know pain too." ~ Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

 

It is a painful process, as the Shepherd warned little Much-Afraid. It involves change, repentance. A transformation from death to LIFE! We come to God as we are, but He does not allow us stay that way.

 

 

It is only by allowing Christ to dwell in our hearts that we can receive the seed, the word of God. For spiritual things must be spiritually discerned.

 

 

In Ephesians Paul prays for us to be "rooted and grounded in love" so that we might come to understand the fullness of Christ's love for us. This is a blessing indeed, for it is the love of Christ that waters the seed, the word of God, within us.

 

Is the soil of your heart prepared to receive the seed of God's word today?

 

Blessings,

 

 

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