Scriptures
“for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45b ESV
Also see: Matthew 25:29a ESV; John 10:10 ESV
Observations
Trees only grow in the right conditions. No sunlight, no growth. Below freezing, also no growth.
Maintaining and improving our mindset and our attitude is like keeping the soil of our hearts fertile and conditioned for growth.
Trees also feed on nutrients in order to grow. Without the proper inputs into our hearts, they too will also decay and fade.
The third thing to steal our love, joy, and peace, as well as create a scarcity within our hearts is a lack of deposits into our heart.
Daily Deposits
Many people tenaciously monitor their budgets, but what about the condition of the heart?
Without regular deposits into our hearts, we quickly run low on our ability to give.
The sad thing is we will one day leave this life behind, along with all the money we accumulated.
Our spirits/hearts however, will continue into eternity. So many of us have so little to show for our ambitions, even after a long life.
Whether we get paid on a bi-weekly, monthly, or even irregular schedule, we must fight daily to grow what we want to store up in our hearts.
Being with God
I mentioned in Part I the importance of reading Scripture and spending time in prayer.
Rather than focusing on talking with God, are we focusing on listening to God?
Does our time with God look like doing things, or are we slowing down enough to simply be with Him?
Time in God’s presence without an agenda can change the game in our relationship with Him.
If being completely silent is uncomfortable with you, try reading a Scripture or short passage in the Bible and ponder the implications it may have in your life.
Even three minutes of focused thinking in an attitude of prayer can make a world of difference.
Action Steps
Finish these sentences:
- My daily routine for filling my heart with God’s goodness is…
- How I plan to maintain and improve my time spent with Him is…
- I will rejoice and celebrate with God and/or a loved one when I spend 7 consecutive days developing this discipline by…
May God bless the works of your hands and the meditations of your heart, today!
An Abundant Heart Part I: Mindset
