Are You Tending To The Garden Of Your Soul?

King James Version (Proverbs 24:30-34)

I went by the field of the slothful,

And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

31  And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns,

And nettles had covered the face thereof,

And the stone wall thereof was broken down.

32  Then I saw, and considered it well:

I looked upon it, and received instruction.

33  Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep:

34  So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth;

And thy want as an armed man.

1. Solomon observed a pratical situation.

This is how it is.

2. As it is in the natural so it is in the spiritual.

If we don’t take care of our souls there will be a heavy price.

*We need to apply this truth to our lives.

3. First of all, with regards to people who have never tended to their souls wellbeing.

If the soul was never tended too, it needs to be tended too!

i. You have a soul.

God breathed.

ii. The soul needs tending.

King James Version (John 15:1-5)

15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

iii. This starts with accepting the gospel.

King James Version (1 Peter 1:22-25)

22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto lunfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

King James Version (James 1:21)

21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of dnaughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

iv. Sin take its toll in this life.

King James Version (Proverbs 24:30-34)

I went by the field of the slothful,

And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

31  And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns,

And nettles had covered the face thereof,

And the stone wall thereof was broken down.

32  Then I saw, and considered it well:

I looked upon it, and received instruction.

33  Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to sleep:

34  So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth;

And thy want as an armed man.

v. Sin will definately take its toll in the life to come.

4. Secondly, with regards to people who have taking the steps to have their souls mended we still need to apply this truth to our lives.

i. We still have a garden know as the soul to keep in condition.

How do we do this?

Faith

Prayer

The Word of God

Fellowship

Praise and Worship

ii. Things can spoil the spirit and affect the soul.

iii. There will be consequences for anyone who does not care about the condition of their soul.

a. In this life.

God is not mocked.

King James Version Chapter 15

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered;

b. In the life to come.

King James Version Chapter 15

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and jcast them into the fire, and they are burned.

5. Finally, we need to learn from not only what Solomon learned and saw but from his life as well.

How could he make this observation and yet fall into its trap?

King James Version (Chapter 7)

7 Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. 2 And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house. 3 And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

King James Version Chapter 7

11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.

King James Version (1 Kings 11:1-10)

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. 7 Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.

How could he make this conclusion and yet fall into the same trap?

I have come to this conclusion.

You can see the condition of someone else and still not notice the condition of yourself.

King James Version (John 21:19-22)

And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. 20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

King James Version (Philippians 2:12-13)

12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.