CULTIVATE
II Peter 3:18 New International Version (NIV)
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Yes, what hopeful words, “grow in grace.” The potential for growth is exciting. The realization of being progressively developed into something potentially better is rewarding to the mind. One of the secrets of that progressive growth is the soil. Soil is important to the growth and health of any harvest. The soil must be properly cultivated to ensure healthy produce. Let’s draw an obvious parallel. How well is your soil cultivated? Cultivation takes time and work and one must cultivate in alignment with what one wants to produce.
To cultivate is to grow, to raise, to prepare or to develop. It means to bestow attention and care and devote time and thought to achieve a desired result.
So today, picture the harvest you would like to bring forth in your life and then cultivate the habits and discipline that affords you the opportunity to attain the results. After reading the parable of the sower, I was compelled to analyze how the same Seed fell into four different places, but in three out of the four places, the Seed was unable to produce what it should have. The Seed sown was the Word of God. God sends His Word and once that Word has been sent, we then have the responsibility to receive, cultivate and nurture that Seed to enable it to produce the right fruit in our lives.
Furthermore, what is the purpose of cultivating the Word of God in us? The goal or the expected harvest is that Christ would be inwrought in believers. We must grow in spiritual stature as Christ is formed in us. It is not for us to just say things with our mouths and not become them. Instead, we have a responsibility to cultivate our soil so that we would grow into a specific kind of man. When we commit to the daily work of cultivating the soil, we will continue to grow and yield healthy harvest.
As we continue to grow and mature, we are better able to serve and help others to become better cultivated themselves. However, we must be committed to being cultivated before we seek to cultivate another. It is then that we can share from our experience what helped our soil to be healthy and thereby bring forth good harvest or what was unhealthy for our soil and threatened the healthy harvest. Therefore, strive daily to cultivate good thoughts and healthy attitudes that will add value to your life and the life of others around you.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the ground of my heart. Today I cultivate the soil of my heart that I may grow in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let me bring forth good fruit. I apply the word of God to my heart that it may be cultivated so the fruit and harvest produced will be beneficial to me and those around me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.