Cultivated Hearts

   Cultivated Hearts

“The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of everyone who passes by. They will say, “This land that was desolate has now become like the garden of Eden.” Ezekiel 36:34

What could the Lord do with cultivated hearts? 

I am not a gardener. I kill every living plant that anyone gives me. It doesn’t matter how “easy’ that plant may be to keep alive I will kill it. I used to laugh when I got plants from preschoolers.  I could keep the kids alive but not the plants. I had a friend one day give me one after teaching. It was a goodbye teaching gift. The next words out of her mouth were, “Angela I know you can keep this alive because it is an easy plant.” A succulent is not an easy plant to keep alive especially when all you do is let them die. But I trusted I could do this and then I waterered it. After a quick google search I saw this particular plant needed to be watered a certain way. To properly water you are to water it “from the roots up” meaning placing it in a pot and tray and allowing the soil to absorb water from the bottom. Not wetting the stems and leaves and I just watered it from the top down. I killed it. I really wasn’t surprised by this but it should have lasted much longer and instead it had a very short life span.

Preparing our hearts takes time and work. Not an “easy” process and instead a daily asking the Holy Spirit to give you a respondent heart even when it can feel so dead around you. Those roots have to grow deep in our relationship with God in order to receive the nourishing we need to survive and thrive. We have to feed our hearts with the Word of God and allow the Living Word to work in us to change our hearts and minds. 

God works from the inside out. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”Ezekiel 36:26

“Read all the instructions all you want, but in order to be a gardener, you must put your hands to the soil. Words read must translate to actions taken.”(c3forchrist@wordpress.com)

I will receive more plants during my time on earth and I will once again try not to kill them. I would never recieve something and then just let it die on purpose but it will always be a process of learning how to keep them alive.  Satan wants our hearts stubborn, single minded, and hard. If we allow God to stir within us readiness to go and be used with hearts that have gratitude, joy, humbleness, thankfulness think of how different this world would be. 

Father,

Give us responsive hearts. Full hearted devotion to what you desire. Allowing our roots to grow so deep within you we thrive and flourish. Let our hearts burn for the things of you and what we see around us. Cultivate our hearts. Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. 

Amen