God says its worth the work of tending and guarding the garden of your heart.
God tells you not to give up, no matter how invasive the weeds or how destructive the critters!
God tells you this because He knows…
The condition of your heart determines the fruit of your life.
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23
And, the condition of your heart affects what you say and do.
“What you say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45
God understands gardens and the work they require.
He planted a garden for Adam and Eve, filled it with beautiful plants and trees, and told them to tend it.
But even God had a critter get into His garden!
The critter got in and did a lot of damage by trampling God’s truths with his lies.
This is the same critter that creeps into hearts today with weeds of deception that choke out the abundant life God intends.
It is the same critter that comes in and tramples God’s truth with his lies and destroys us so that we are unable to produce the fruit He created us to bear.
God loved Adam and Eve, He created them to be loved by Him and He enjoyed their friendship; walking and talking with them each day. So when the critter came in and deceived them, breaking their relationship with God, God declared a death sentence over him.
And because God so loves everyone and creates us all to be loved by Him He sent His Son, Jesus, to destroy the damage the critter caused with his deception and lies.
But, even though all power has been removed from him, he still has permission to roam around in hearts to rob, kill, and destroy.
What is the reason God has given him permission?
God is a Good Father, so the reason must be a good one.
What purpose do weeds and critters serve in the good of my garden? How can there be any good found in them?
In my analogy what I find is that those invasive weeds and the cunning critters give me reason to tend and guard my garden regularly.
I have seen the results of a neglected garden and its not pretty!
So, I have a choice of how I will respond to the weeds and critters that damage and destroy my garden.
And, God has given me a choice of how I will respond to the deception and lies that damage and destroy my heart.
Could God’s reason for allowing the critter to roam around with his deception and lies be so that I will realize how messy, unfruitful, and hopeless my life really is without Him?
Could it be that the critter’s deception and lies bring me to the end of self so that I cry out to Him for help?
God has given me the freedom to choose.
Who’s voice will I listen to?
Who does my heart belong to?
Choosing to leave the weeds of deception and lies of the critter roaming my heart will not require any guarding or tending, but it will leave my heart messy an unfruitful.
Choosing to listen to the truth of God will require work to guard and tend my heart.
Knowing that the weeds of deception and the lies of the critter have been given a death sentence by Jesus’ death and resurrection…
and knowing the critter has no power, he is just a liar…
I can see them for the good God intends them to be.
I realize those weeds are the very things that remind me of my need to diligently read God’s word every day. As I read His word the lies are exposed, pulled out, and replaced with God’s truth.
I realize it is the critter that brings me worry and anxiety that causes me to fall to my knees in prayer. It’s there on my knees where worry is turned to praise, anxiety is turned to hope!
Those very things meant for my harm are actually intended for my good!
Even though weeding and critter proofing our garden is a lot of work, there is a joy and satisfaction the comes from the effort. Knowing that my work is protecting the plants from harm and damage so that they can grow and produce good fruit encourages me to push through the digging, pulling, and stiffness I experience.
God’s Garden of Eden was perfect. It was a place where Adam and Eve found satisfaction in the work they were given to do. It was the place where their food grew that satisfied their hunger. And it was the place where they walked and talked with God.
This is the Good that God intends for you as well!
To do the work of tending the garden of your heart. To trust Him to provide for your physical needs. And to have a friendship with Him; to walk and talk to Him every day!