Testing Heart Soil – WM’s May 2024

Captivated by Love!

Springtime is an exciting time in our outside world. There is new life in creatures. I am expecting the eggs in my incubator to hatch out any day now. There is evidence of new growth in the flowers and the trees. I have also been going around almost weekly snapping photos of all the pretty things.

If we can be so attracted to, interested in, and fascinated in, which means to be captivated by, in all the things around us on the outside, how about we take a peek at our inside to see what is going on in that environment also.

 

What is happening this Spring?

What is God growing, planting, and birthing in you that He gets interested in, fascinated by, attracted to, captivated by this season? Let us be a friend of God working with Him and not an enemy of His love work. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30 if you are not with Him then you are against Him. 

Since I am not an expert Christian, gardener, or farmer I am constantly learning. The Lord communicated to me through His Word and also as I live and work in my daily life, especially at my hobby of urbansteading. I have written some of these reflections in my published seasonal devotionals.

Planting in the heart!

Page 32 in my Spring devotional there is a reflection of the perfect soil testing.

 Why would you want to test? In 1 Corinthians 13:3 it says we are bankrupt without love. Bankrupt means you are without resources.

I ask myself some of the same questions for my inside that I do my outside.

• Do I need to amend the soil due to the previous seasons depleting it?
• Do I have any rocks or hard places that have worked their way up from deep down?
• Do I have everything that is needed for what is growing and going to be planted this Spring so that at harvest time there is blessing and not cursing going on?

As we sit in God’s presence in His Word, let us test this out with all of 1 Corinthians 13.

Test results!

The Holy Spirit lit up 2 things that needed amending this season in my heart.

1. Moving forward and leaving the past behind.

Remember Lot’s wife in Genesis 19 who looked back and became so hard it killed her?

1. Looking through God’s viewpoint to see things the way He sees them.

Hebrews 12 says that Jesus looked ahead and that was what assisted Him to go through all His hardships, pain, and challenges.

God said to me to stop looking back. Look forward to the new, the 1 Corinthians love new from Him. I felt the nudge to let the time with Him, in His Presence and in His Word feed me, nourish me, and amend me.

We choose who and what will hold our attention and feed our minds, our souls, our hearts, and our spirits. Just like I am learning from others how to be a more successful urbansteader outside, I am also learning from the Lord and His Word how to be a successful human.

If you do not know God like this in your everyday life, I encourage you to pray right now with me.

“God, thank you for another day. Help us to let you be the one in charge. We are sorry for taking your place in being the boss. Thank you Jesus for paying the price of our sins in this. You are now the boss of us today forward. Help us to manage your property well. We welcome you Holy Spirit to help us in Jesus’ name.”