In Luke 8:4-15 we can read about the Parable of the Soils. This familiar passage tells us about the conditions of the heart that either produces good things for the Kingdom of God or does not produce at all. Luke 8:15 says that the seed that fell on the good ground represents those who have heard the Gospel, and hold fast to it. Rather than a discussion of the seeds or the meanings in the parable I want to suggest ways to cultivate the heart so that it may produce good fruit.

Every person is a cultivator of his own heart. Keeping our hearts open to God and ensuring that nothing crowds Him out takes effort. If you have ever had a garden you know the work that is involved. A fruitful garden begins with good soil. After moving to the Midwest, I began looking for a place to plant a garden. As I began to work the ground it didn’t take me long to figure out that I didn’t have good soil. Has anyone, besides me, ever paid for dirt? Well, I did it, I paid for someone to bring a truckload of dirt from a rich riverbed and dump it in my garden. I had to get rid of the rocks and bring in the rich soil that would nourish my seeds.

Proverbs 6:16-19 says, these six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, a false witness, feet that rush to evil and a man who stirs up trouble.

In thinking about how to cultivate your heart I want you to consider this passage from Proverbs, which I call “The Seven Deadly Weeds.” Here are the weeds that can destroy a person’s heart: Pride, dishonesty, hands that shed innocent blood, a wicked schemer, those who lie against another, those who look for evil and run to it and a troublemaker.

I will expound here on just two of these seven deadly weeds:

Haughty eyes or pride stems from the lie that is from the beginning of time. The lie that says you are better than God or that you deserve to be treated like God. Guard your heart – don’t allow it to be vulnerable to the lies of the enemy. More than once pride has tripped the valiant soldier of God and caused him to stumble.

Lord, save me from haughty eyes. Keep my eyes focused on you and my heart ready and available to humbly receive the strength and divine power that enables me to grow and produce for the Kingdom of God. Keep me near the cross so I won’t forget whom I serve.

Acting dishonestly is like bleeding internally. It may not always be seen outwardly, but it will eventually kill the Christian witness. A lying tongue or one that speaks guile is deadly because it can go unnoticed and leave the heart vulnerable. When I was a child my mother would tell me that the little white calcium deposits on my fingernails came from lying. She said that every time I lied I got a new little white mark on my nail. Inevitably I would hide my hands if I lied and she would find me out – kind of clever on her part, but sorry, mom, “you lied too.” I am sure my mom didn’t think about her lie that at the time. It’s easy to be desensitized to the lie as it benefits for personal gain. But no matter dishonesty is a cancer that affects your inner person. The more you lie the more you become a lie until you don’t even know the truth any longer. Guile is deceit. Dishonesty produces a garden of deceit that grows weeds of death into a person’s life.

Lord, teach my lips speak truth into my own life as well as into the lives of those I meet on my journey. Forgive the times I allow myself to be led down that road to dishonesty, even when it seems trite. Help me to wear the belt of truth and begin there with my armor.

The Seven Detestable Weeds mentioned in Proverbs keep us from growing. You see, the Parable of the Soils is as much about the soil as it is the seed. The soil - your heart, has to be able to receive the seed in such a way that it will grow. Cultivating your heart keeps the weeds from choking out the message of life. Planting the seed is only the beginning. A garden needs to be fertilized, watered, nurtured, and cultivated. So does your heart.

My dad had the reputation of having the cleanest and neatest garden around. People used to say the weeds were afraid to come up. They never had a chance; he would yank them up before they had time to become deeply rooted.

The weeds that invade your heart are those that produce dishonesty, dissention, deceit, and eventually death. These weeds will choke the message of hope right out of you. So how to you get rid of the weeds? Philippians 4:8 offers seven steps to cultivating your heart. I call this The Seven Weed Whackers.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

1. Think about what is true. Look at what is synonymous with truth: integrity, honesty, candor, virtue, morality, goodness, completeness, wholeness. That should offer a start. Are you sold out to truth? Don’t waste time thinking about the crooked road of lies or fantasies. Focus on the truth.

2. Think about noble things. Perhaps you can begin with the lofty things of God or the honorable things of man – but consider nobility, or that which is dignified.

3. Think about what is right and righteousness will surely fill your heart.

4. Think about what is pure. The garden of your heart must be pure. Part of the process of cultivating a garden is digging up around the plant and loosening the dirt. All the while the gardener is removing the rocks and debris that has found its way into that soil. Remove the debris and hardness from your heart and be pure. You can break up that “fallow” ground of your heart with time spent in prayer, meditating on that which is pure and filling your mind with God’s word – to the point that God’s word crowds out the rubbish.

5. Think about things that are lovely. You don’t have to look far to find that which is lovely. Just open your eyes and look at your neighbor, or at nature or a small child. Don’t just look with your eyes, but look also with your heart. Look into the heavens some night and see the starry hosts. There is sunshine and flowers and rain and the list goes on. That which is lovely is not hard to find.

6. Think about things that are admirable.

7. And finally think about the things that are excellent and worthy of praise – a sunrise, a meteor shower, redemption . . . think on the good reports.

Now that you have cultivated the garden of your heart shower it with prayer. Prayer is your communication with the Mighty God and when it is coupled with Scripture it is the door to truth.

Finally, Place yourself under God’s grow light. Psalm 139 says, Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Let Him search you – become a partaker of the divine nature.