When a world-class agriculturalist prepares to plant an award-winning garden, many things must occur before even one seed is placed in the ground.
The gardener begins to prepare next year’s soil immediately after harvest. It takes mulching, fertilizing and plowing; a person with a radiant green thumb will often add nutrients, subtract weeds and hope for just the right amount of rain. The process of guaranteeing that a plot of dirt will develop into a vibrant garden is long, painstaking and demanding. However, it is worth it, my friend!
The next task in preparing the soil for an abundant harvest is to acknowledge the importance of digging deeply. A successful farmer knows the utmost importance of loosening the soil and removing any rocks or roots that may have made a home in the plot of earth that will eventually become a productive garden. This farmer is intent on digging well below the surface of the earth to ensure that the seeds eventually planted will nestle down snugly into the warmth and freedom of this soil.
You, too, must dig deeply into the promises in God’s Word if you hope that your life will display the abundance of the Father. You must remove the rocks of worry, discouragement and sin. You must throw away the stones of unforgiveness, bitterness and compromise. You will never have the sustaining ability to live a vital and dynamic life without removing the gravel of offense.
When you take the time to dig deeply into the Bible and allow it to become part of the rich soil of your life, you will be utterly surprised at what it digs up in you. I often dare people to do an experiment with the Word of God—a dare I present to you today.
I dare you to read the Bible every day for 21 days for just 10 minutes a day. Try not to miss a day, but if you do, start right up again. I believe that at the end of this three-week period, you will see a marked difference in the way that you process life as well as how you treat other people.
When you immerse yourself into the powerful truth of the Bible on a daily basis, suddenly you will realize, I didn’t lose my temper with my children this morning. What happened to me?
The Word happened to you!
You discover, I wasn’t cranky with my mother when she called me for the tenth time today! What happened to me?
The Word of God happened to you!
You wonder, What has happened to me? I didn’t even get angry when my husband forgot to take out the trash!
The Word of God happened to you!
You feel joyful for your friend who’s getting married instead of self-pity because you are not even dating anyone and you ponder, What happened to me?
The Word of God happened to you!
Spending time ingesting the eternal and life-changing Word of God every day is one of the sweetest disciplines that precedes embracing a vibrant life. The call to read God’s love letter and apply it personally to your life will be found often on the pages of this book. It is impossible to overestimate the life change that will happen to you when you drink in the treasure of the most glorious and impactful book ever written.
As you begin the dirty work of preparing the soil of your heart to live the life that it was made for, start with digging deeply into the inspired truth that is found only in the Bible. The Word will do an excavating work in your life that will equip you to grow a world-class array of delicious fruit and gorgeous flowers. When you honor the Word of God in your life, the world will stand in awe at the life that has been grown in the dirty soil of your formerly insignificant existence.
You were created to be a producer of delectable fruit, brilliant flowers and undeniable glory. The Word of God will prepare your life for the demonstration of God’s character in an ordinary man or in a common woman.
“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11).
“Visit many good books but live in the Bible.” —C. H. Spurgeon {eoa}
Billy Hallowell 
James Lasher