A Cultivated Spirit 

Beautiful People, 

Have you ever wondered why God put Adam to work in the Garden of Eden? I mean, the very definition of Eden is paradise. The command to cultivate the garden was before the Fall of man. So even in paradise, there was a need for cultivation. According to one commentator, Adam's job description consisted of improving his surroundings, providing necessities of life, and protecting that which was committed to him. I want to make a case that we are still called to this work of cultivation. God's emphasis on work changes the external environment and changes the person's internal disciplinary behaviors and attitudes. In fact, it would be difficult for us to cultivate anything externally without first being internally cultivated by God's Spirit. This notion of inner cultivation points to the Spirit's work in us.

First, the Spirit of God improves our surroundings by cultivating the character of Christ. The Spirit of God provides necessitates for spiritual life. And finally, the Spirit of God protects us from the evil, evil that would choke out our spiritual life. The Holy Spirit cultivates us internally to cultivate others in the same manner that God called Adam to cultivate Eden. The Spirit-filled person learns how to cultivate and protect relationships and individuals that help them grow into the person God has called them to be. When the character of Christ is cultivated in us, we learn how to see the beauty in others—we learn how to care and protect with unconditional divine sacrificial love.