From Fallow Ground To Fruitful Harvest
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you.
-Hosea 10:12
Has your spiritual life been going through a time of fallowness? Have you been lying unproductive or stagnant? Here Hosea encourages us to break it up! We need to prepare the soil of our hearts for the rains the Lord is preparing for us.
The Purpose and The Process of Fallowed Ground
Fallow ground is ground that is allowed to lay unused for a period of time. Fields that grow vegetation need to rest to recover from depleted nutrients, either by rotating crops or laying unworked for a year or more. The removal of the host disrupts the lifecycles of harmful organic matter and diseases that may have begun growing.
Breaking Up the Fallow Ground
After a time, in preparation for the sowing, the field is then plowed up. It’s important to make straight rows going the length of the field. As the tractor continuously runs its course back and forth, the plow digs deep into the soil bringing up the underneath and burying what was on top. Over and over, the process goes as the sweet, earthy aroma of freshly dug dirt fills the air. This process loosens the soil, allowing the seed to be covered when it is dropped into the soft earth. The roots have an easier time growing deep into the ground, allowing them to pull up nutrients farther down. And it also allows the rain to go deeper into the earth, slowing down the drying out process.
Breaking Up Spiritual Ground
As we break up our spiritual fallow ground, our heart begins preparation for the spiritual seed that God wants to sow. A tender heart will readily accept these seeds provided by the Spirit; the roots will grow deep, giving a chance for the seed to grow into the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
If We Sow Righteousness, We Will Reap Steadfast Love.
Put Your Hands to the Plow
“No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” –Luke 9:62
Serving God is a commitment that we should take very seriously. The rewards are phenomenal! But the task is a life-long process of surrender. So, having made our decision, let us get to the work of breaking up our fallow ground with the following suggestions.
Admit, Submit, and Commit
Admit Who the Lord is.
Think about this for a minute. Who do you say is the Lord? This is a personal question that has to be answered by each of us individually. Jesus is:
- the King of kings
- the promised Messiah
- the Son of God
- the Prince of Peace
- the great Shepherd
But who is He to you? He is not your Lord until you decide that He is. With the mouth, confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10). Until you are ready to admit that, your soil lays fallow.
Submit your will to His.
Our purpose is to do the Father’s will. That was Jesus’ primary purpose, and that needs to be our primary purpose. We were created in His image to be like Him, not to be Him, but to be His image-bearers (Genesis 1:27). We were created to display His glory (Isaiah 43:7).
Commit your ways.
Salvation is a commitment. We enter into a binding covenant with the Creator of the Universe. “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.” Psalm 37:5
When we commit our way to the Lord, it becomes His work to shape us and form us into a vessel of righteousness. As we set our minds on things above, we allow Him to transform us into the likeness of His Son.
His Ways Lead To Eternal Life
If you have not yet realized that the Lord is God, and if you are still struggling to work things out all on your own without Him, now may be a good time to change that. He has an answer for every problem in life, and His ways are better than our ways because they lead us to eternal life with Him. All we need do is admit who the Lord is, submit to His will, and commit ourselves to follow Him completely. This will result in peace of mind and joy, which cannot be found anywhere else! (Philippians 4:5-7)
I invited Jesus to be the Lord of my life about 40 years ago. I have never regretted it! What about you? Do you know Jesus as Lord? Leave your answer in the comments below. And if you would like to talk, send me an email @ cindra e @ heavenly placed . c o m (leave out the spaces). I would love to hear your thoughts!
