When planting something you are doing so because you want whatever you are planting and watering to grow. Whether it’s food, flowers, or other plant life, you desire to see it grow to fruition.
It doesn’t take long though for insects and animals to realize what you’ve planted and they can cause quite a bit of trouble if you don’t put in some work to prevent them from coming around.
The same is true for your heart and the seeds that have been sown into you—the truths you’ve been told about God’s love and grace. If you don’t read God’s word and pray to Him about the good and the bad in your life, how can you ensure you’re doing what you can to prevent people and situations from harming your heart and the good seeds that have been planted in your life?
Prevention is key. You are who you surround yourself with. Before you committed your life to Christ, there may have been some people around you that weren’t cultivating the love of God in your life. It’s important to surround yourself with others who can love you like Christ, but it’s also important to not surround yourself exclusively by other Christians.
Yes, be in community with other believers, but you also must love on others who don’t yet know God. Remember if someone had not told you about Him then how would you have come to accept Christ?
To pour into others though, you must first be filled yourself. You cannot extend God’s love, grace, and mercy to others if don't spend time with others, and God, who impart it to you first.
Stick with God and guard your heart from “pests” who want to harm the good He wants to do in and through you. Let others see the radiance of the fruit your life bears and help them to taste and see that the Lord is good.
What are you doing to actively protect your heart against things that threaten to destroy everything God is creating in and through you?
