Monday, May 9, 2022

The Garden of Your Soul

 


Galatians 6:6-10, CEB - Those who are taught the word should share all good things with their teacher. Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant.  Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up.  So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith.

 

Questions:  What is planted in your spirit?  What is growing in your heart?  What seeds are in the soil of your relationships?

 

We began with the questions today because the scripture naturally leads to them without any explanation.  If virtues are planted in the spirit, fruitful virtue tends to bloom in one’s life.  If bitterness is growing in your heart, anger and resentment seem to creep into our motivations and actions.  If seeds of trust and gratitude is planted in relationships,     then those same blooms tend to multiply. 

Let’s apply this principle to forgiveness (if you haven’t already).  If you have truly received and embraced forgiveness for you own mistakes, that forgiveness planted in  your soul tends to make the “soil” of your soil more receptive to the possibility of you forgiving others.  It works the other way as well.  If your do the hard work of forgiving others, your heart is even more prepared to embrace forgiveness of others and God; it’s a more “natural” experience. If you want to forgive, work on embracing the truth that your have been forgiven.  If you want to expand your own experience of being forgiven, then work on forgiving others. 

Paul is ruthless on this principle.  You can’t fake the true condition of your heart, spirit, and mind.  What you plant there will determine what blossoms in your life, for better or for worse.  What you practice in your relationships will produce a natural result.   So back to the questions for the day.

 

Questions:  What is planted in your spirit?  What is growing in your heart?  What seeds are in the soil of your relationships?

 

Prayer:  Eternal God, from the beginning of our lives, your desire has been to plant your image and character in us.  Forgive us for the ways we have been uncooperative with your purpose.  We will strive from this moment to receive your goodness and let it take root in our heart.  May our capacity to receive and give forgiveness increase.  Amen.

 

Prayer Focus:  Pray for God to bless all the mothers you know today.

 

Song:  You Gotta Reap What You Sow – Alberta Hunter

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YKEPe4uY8E

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