Trapped in Topsoil

Good Morning My Beloved Ones,

     I pray you are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might and are not relying upon your own strength.
 

     Today I want to talk to you about "Trapped in Topsoil".  Those of you who know me know that I am not a gardener.  I have a black thumb.  But I've learned a few things through the years about what works and doesn't work in a garden.

     Suppose you have a dry, hard patch of ground with rocks scattered here and there and you cover it with rich, dark topsoil so that the topsoil is all that can be seen.  Then you plant seeds in that topsoil.  How well will those plants grow?  They might sprout if they are being watered, but the roots won't be able to penetrate the ground below to anchor the plant.  Then what happens if a big wind blows?

     There are Christians like that.  They are trapped in topsoil.  They are all excited about the forgiveness of their sins and the promise of Heaven, but they don't take the next steps and remove the rocks (like making time with God a priority in their lives) and they don't allow the gardener (Jesus) to break up the dry, hard ground of their hearts (allow Him to bring healing, forgiveness for others, to show us areas in which we need to change).  These Christians are easy to recognize - they are all sprout, no root.  They are the first to announce they are Christians and to proclaim their righteousness and to tell others what they should and should not be doing instead of focusing on that for themselves.  Jesus called them "Pharisees" and "hypocrites".  We call them "self-righteous" or "holier-than-thou".  They are trapped in topsoil.

     Then there are those who have removed the rocks in their gardens, by changing the things they know to change and have given the heavy digging to Jesus.  These let Him break up the hardness of their hearts so the water (His Word) can penetrate and soften them so the roots can go deep and take hold.  These, the Bible says, shall be like trees planted by rivers of living water whose leaves shall not wither and everything they set their hand to do shall prosper.  Have you seen Christians like this?  They walk in joy, have peace in turmoil, and seem to abound in blessings.  They don't have to claim to be Christians - you can tell they are.
     Which type of plant would you rather be?  Are you trapped in topsoil in some areas of your life?  We all are from time to time.  Remove the obvious rocks in your heart then hand the hoe to Jesus.  He wants your roots to go deep so you can't be blown about by every wind that comes along.  He wants you to bear fruit and prosper.

     It's not too late to tend your garden, my friends.  We all want to have fruit to share with others.

Love in Christ, Raelynn