My heart is not just a physical organ in my body, but it is also the inner being of me. It is my thoughts and desires and emotions. And yet, the Word of God says that I don't know my own heart because it is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?
The title of this study starts off with the word "cultivate" as does each of the chapter titles. "Cultivate" is a word used a lot in farming or agriculture and it means to prepare the land or the ground for use. It means to loosen or break up the soil. It further means to improve by labor, care or study. The heart is that ground that initially needs to be prepared by God to receive the seed of His Word. By His Word and the inward working of the Holy Spirit, He continues to weed (pulling out those things that would choke out the Word) and water and sow good things so that our lives will yield the fruit of righteousness.
God is the only one who can honestly show us the true condition of our hearts. It is the intent of this study to allow God to assist us in a true transformation of the heart, growing in His grace and abiding in His love.
