Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

This is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a time for planting and gardening. We I live, we must be careful not to get anxious and plant too early or we will not have much of a garden. While knowing when to plant is important, every good gardener also knows that a good garden must be well cultivated and weeded. He fully understands that something will grow in his garden whether he cultivates it or lets it grow wild. If his garden is neglected, the weeds, briars and vines will most certainly overrun it—much like our minds.

In a day when our lives are constantly bombarded by technology’s fast-paced, endless supply of information, entertainment, propaganda, it is easy to neglect our minds and allow them to be overrun with useless, dangerous “weeds”. And lest we be tempted to point our wagging fingers at the younger generations, we would do well to engage in a little self-examination of our own “garden”.

God warned the Israelites after their deliverance from Egypt to watch themselves closely, and commanded them to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. (Deut. 6:5; Matt. 22:37) We must plant the right seeds according to Paul in the verse above and weed out the thoughts and habits that lead to unrighteousness and self-destruction. Only when our “garden” is well tended, will we be able to teach our grandchildren how to tend theirs well. This might be a good time to take a look at what is growing in our garden and begin pulling some weeds.

GRANDPAUSE: If no useful seeds are put into [the mind], then an abundance of useless seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind. –James Allen, “As A Man Thinketh”