Day 2 card
The Word
Which seed
will you feed?
Two forces are at work inside the same heart. One pulls toward the flesh. The other toward the Spirit.
What you feed is what grows.
Galatians 5:16–17
Two forces,
one heart
Paul does not say the flesh is stronger. He says they are at war. And he tells you the one thing that decides which side wins.
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire.”
Galatians 5:16–17 (WEB)Notice: the answer is not try harder. It is walk by the Spirit — and the key word is walk. A direction, not a sprint.
- Walk by the Spirit
- You will not fulfill the flesh
Galatians 5:22–23
Now look at the
other harvest
The flesh produces one kind of fruit. But Paul says there is another harvest — and it starts the same way a seed does.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22–23 (WEB)- Sow to the Spirit
- The Spirit produces fruit
- Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness
Galatians 6:7–9
The harvest
comes later
A few lines later, Paul tells us how the harvest comes.
“Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
“For he who sows to his own flesh will of the flesh reap corruption. But he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap eternal life.”
“Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don’t give up.”
Galatians 6:7–9 (WEB)The fruit is the harvest. The seed is what you feed.
Today’s Virtue: Love — the tended vine
vs. Indifference — the neglected one
When you remember, it’s easier to love. It’s hard to love what you don’t remember — and that is where indifference grows.
The Garden of the Heart
Three truths
about your garden
Today’s Prayer
“Lord, I commit to You a life of gratitude. Help me feed the right seed.”
Today’s Goal
One weed out.
One seed in.
Your job today is simple: catch one complaint, pull it up by its root, and plant one thanks in its place.
The Practice
In all circumstances
Tomorrow morning will not wait for you to have a good week first. That is rather the whole point of it.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18Not for all circumstances. In them. Three things, sixty seconds, before your feet hit the floor.
Before You Go
In your journal
What is growing in your life that you never meant to plant?
What do you want growing a year from now?
Write your answer in today’s journal page.