The Message Planted in Your Heart
I want to share a verse that has been quitly convicting me lately. It comes from James chapter one. The first part of the message is one that is probably very familiar to most Christians," My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Your anger can never make things right in God's sight." This is not the part that hit home with me, although it is extremely convicting for us all I am sure. The following lines are amazing, and somehow they are words that I have never really dwelt on before:
"So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls."
My mind has chased tangents about all different facets of this verse. The part about being saved, the part about humbly accepting God's will over my own, the part about the filth and evil in my own life, and maybe I am most taken by the part about "the message" that God himself planted in my heart.
This verse does not say, "humbly accept the random seed that happened to land on your heart and take root". We all know that a lot of things grow that way, something sprouts a seed and the wind blows it to an acceptable enough plot of land and boom ~ plant. Or worse, some cow or bird eats up a seed and four hours later, boom ~ plant. I dare say that more often than not this kind of planting usually yeilds what we all just LOVE to have in our own yards . . . WEEDS!
No, this is not how our convictions have come to us. The Lord PLANTED a message in my heart. This requires (and I know because I watch Gardening by the Yard!) preparing the soil, providing irrigation, digging a hole, inserting a seed, covering the hole to the right depth and spacing, fertilizing the hole (organically I hope!) and waiting and waiting and waiting until, boom ~ the perfect, beautiful, lush healthy plant in the perfect location yeilding all of the right flowers/fruit.
When I think about this, I reflect back on all of the events in my life that have shaped my heart. My pains, my joys, watching others who are suffering, and my basic realizations as a young one that some things are simply "not right". This verse helps me in realizing that this was all the planting of the message in my heart. It has made me very passionate about certain things, and yet there are other things that I simply do not feel "called" to do.
I could go on even more about the words "humbly accept" in this passage, but I'll spare you all my tears. All I know is that I am so so so grateful to God to be given the opportunity to serve Him. There was a time in my life that I most decidedly did NOT accept the message in my heart, I did not follow it, and it led me down a road into the darkest place I have ever been. Now that the Lord has allowed me to come back to Him, I am most honored to accept the message in my heart, and I am speechless before Him with gratefulness and dumbstruck by His faithfulness.
*Sigh*, God is so Good.
Goodnight.
"So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the message God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls."
My mind has chased tangents about all different facets of this verse. The part about being saved, the part about humbly accepting God's will over my own, the part about the filth and evil in my own life, and maybe I am most taken by the part about "the message" that God himself planted in my heart.
This verse does not say, "humbly accept the random seed that happened to land on your heart and take root". We all know that a lot of things grow that way, something sprouts a seed and the wind blows it to an acceptable enough plot of land and boom ~ plant. Or worse, some cow or bird eats up a seed and four hours later, boom ~ plant. I dare say that more often than not this kind of planting usually yeilds what we all just LOVE to have in our own yards . . . WEEDS!
No, this is not how our convictions have come to us. The Lord PLANTED a message in my heart. This requires (and I know because I watch Gardening by the Yard!) preparing the soil, providing irrigation, digging a hole, inserting a seed, covering the hole to the right depth and spacing, fertilizing the hole (organically I hope!) and waiting and waiting and waiting until, boom ~ the perfect, beautiful, lush healthy plant in the perfect location yeilding all of the right flowers/fruit.
When I think about this, I reflect back on all of the events in my life that have shaped my heart. My pains, my joys, watching others who are suffering, and my basic realizations as a young one that some things are simply "not right". This verse helps me in realizing that this was all the planting of the message in my heart. It has made me very passionate about certain things, and yet there are other things that I simply do not feel "called" to do.
I could go on even more about the words "humbly accept" in this passage, but I'll spare you all my tears. All I know is that I am so so so grateful to God to be given the opportunity to serve Him. There was a time in my life that I most decidedly did NOT accept the message in my heart, I did not follow it, and it led me down a road into the darkest place I have ever been. Now that the Lord has allowed me to come back to Him, I am most honored to accept the message in my heart, and I am speechless before Him with gratefulness and dumbstruck by His faithfulness.
*Sigh*, God is so Good.
Goodnight.
Thank you so much for sharing that message. It was good. And convicting. This makes me think of a verse in Ecclesiastes that tells us that He has "placed eternity in our hearts." It's like a whisper from inside us that tells us that we were created for so much more than we could ever think or imagine. We were created to last for eternity - to be with Him...forever. That hope is a powerful thing. Thank you for blessing me today Cassie!
ReplyDeleteLove you! Thank you for sharing--convicting indeed.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff. I love when the scriptures come to life and just entangle my thoughts. Your heart to obey is encouraging!
ReplyDeleteWell said Cassie, and did you notice that none of the preparation or planting is done by the ground? It is all done by the gardener the grounds only job is to recieve the seed.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, my friend. Beautiful. James isn't one to candy-coat things. Girl, we are studying the same book in a small group at church via "Course Setters, A Study of James by Kym Hindt." All praise to the Lord! We ARE growing together! I just wish I could see you.
ReplyDelete