Fertilizing Your Soul

Today Emily arrived home from camp. Tradition dictates that we spend a few moments "debriefing" the family on the camp days... Laughter echoes and life lessons abound...

Then after lunch (and a special coffee run) the discussions take on an introspective tone, at my prompting of course :).

"How do we really live out a life that glorifies the Lord?" is the question "on deck"... as we all seem to agree that this is our purpose... but how does the rubber meet the road?

We discuss the classic disciplines of the christian life - prayer, service, knowing His word, ... but still I probe further... "Why do we do these things?" I know that soon the answer "because you told us to" or "because it is expected of me..." won't cut it... they need to think deeper as they mature. Their seeds of obedience must push through the soil and mature into fruit that can withstand exposure to the elements.

The tumultuous but thoughtful tilling of the soil continues...

"When we do the easy things... like passively taking in media or just following the culture/crowd, what is going on?"

Delaying any "quick and easy" answers... I then give an example of how ideas, values, beliefs change from age to age... and ask "How do we know who is right?" Then I ask "Who is right?" THEN the more important question comes - WHY? I need my children to then think and say - well... Does the Bible have anything to say about this? Now this is gardening at its finest... unearthing God's wisdom, principles, ways, and character. Is there anything better?

I now summarize... "There is a battle for our affections, our heart, our time, our minds. Everyday we are exposing ourselves to ideas, beliefs, values, etc... So who is going to define our values - what is right and wrong, true and false? If we are not careful we'll let the world define it, because of its easy access and enticing attributes....
BUT when we seek after the solid food of God's word, we seek wisdom and that transcends the current culture and its ideas, wisdom that imparts true nutrition to the soul. In doing this, we have intentionally sought a richer fertilizer, one that is specifically designed to just the right "soul-nourishing pH" balance, regardless of the climate."

So from whom do we get the majority of our fertilizer? The media? Finite men, whose life span is on average 70 years? Or our infinite creator and His word?

So back to the question "on deck"... How do we live a life that glorifies the Lord?

By wisely choosing our fertilizer sources ...

So ... Which fertilizer are you going to mix in your soul? I mean soil!