THINGS THAT SHOULD BE GROWING IN THE GARDEN OF YOUR HEART

(Matt. 13:3-8, 11, 23)

INTRODUCTION: When the “sower went out to sow” he sowed the word of God in the hearts of men. Therefore, our hearts are seedbeds as it were for what we allow to be planted therein (Matt. 15:17-20). What have you planted in the garden of your heart? Consider planting the following, if you have not already.

THREE ROWS OF “SQUASH”

1. Squash gossip (1 Tim. 5:11-14; 1 Cor. 13:6).

2. Squash indifference (Matt. 22:1-14; Acts 13:46; Rev. 3:14-19).

3. Squash harsh criticism (Titus 3:1-3; Phil. 2:3)

FIVE ROWS OF “LET US”

1. Let us deny self (Matt. 16:24; Phil. 2:5-8).

2. Let us be faithful (1 Cor. 4:2; Rev. 2:10).

3. Let us not grow weary (Gal. 6:6-9).

4. Let us love God (Mark 12:28-30).

5. Let us love others (Mark 12:31).

THREE ROWS OF “TURN UPS”

1. Turn up for assemblies (Heb. 10:25).

2. Turn up with a positive attitude (Phil. 4:8).

3. Turn up with the determination to serve God (Rom. 12:1-2).

SEVEN ROWS OF P’s

1. Piety (1 Pet. 1:13-16)

    a. Piety and its synonyms mean “faithfulness to something to which one is bound by pledge or duty or by a sense of what is right or appropriate.”

    b. Piety, in particular, “stresses fidelity to obligations regarded as natural and fundamental and the observance of duties required by such fidelity.”

2. Prayer (1 Thess. 5:17)

3. Purity (1 Cor. 6:9-20)

4. Praise (Heb. 13:15)

5. Peace (Rom. 12:18)

6. Patience (Rom. 12:12)

7. Perseverance (1 Cor. 15:58)

CONCLUSION: Have these things growing in the garden of your heart? Have you at least begun to plant them? Plant them deep so they will take root and get the nourishment they require. Tend to them regularly so they will not die from neglect. Cultivate the garden of your heart so it will be the best that it can be.

Cultivating accomplishes a number of things:

1.   It prepares the soil to receive and germinate good seed.

2.   It allows the soil to more readily receive and hold live sustaining moisture.

3.   It roots out and destroys those noxious weeds that remove fertility and moisture from the soil.

4.   It prevents those weeds from going to seed and causing more damage and distress in the future.

5.   It improves the absorption of oxygen and nitrogen into the plants.

6.   It gives your garden a better appearance!