TILL THE LAND

"Break up your fallow ground." - Hosea 10:12

Before a man can sow seed in his field, he must first prepare the soil.  In my opinion, the most difficult part of having a garden is the tilling process.  It is hard work.  When my grandfather was alive, he would plow his garden using a horse and plow.  When my parents moved on the mountain, we used a tiller.  Either way, the purpose was to prepare the soil for the planting of seed.

The purpose of tilling the land is two-fold.  First, tilling the ground breaks up the hard clay and causes the soil to be soft and profitable for sowing.  Secondly, plowing rids the soil of unwanted weeds.  The plow would do more than simply cut the weeds --- it would uproot them & chew them up.  This is important because weeds will hinder the growth of any plant that a seed may produce.

Your heart is much like the soil.  Preparation is needed to get your heart ready for God's seed.  Regardless of your level of love for Jesus or commitment to Him, there are times when your heart gets hard & your love cools off.  At this point, the hard ground of your heart needs to be plowed. 

Weeds also come in our lives on a regular basis.  When I was growing up, I always hated the chore of hoeing the garden.  It was a process of getting rid of weeds and gathering soil around the new plant.  I learned quickly that you never get rid of weeds permanently.  Weeds grow when nothing else will.  It is surprising to recognize weeds in our lives.  Often times, others recognize the weeds before we do.  Simple neglect can aid the weeds in their quest to take over your life.  The weeds need to be cut down in your life on a regular basis. 

How does God break up the fallow ground and uproot the weeds?  The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to reveal sin and convict us.  The Word of God is like a mirror.  When you look in a mirror, you see a reflection of yourself.  A mirror shows you reality.  A mirror may show you that your face is dirty.  You may have been unaware of that.  That is what the Word of God does ... it shows us the dirt in our lives.  Furthermore, the Bible shows us how to be cleansed of the dirt.

God uses His Word to break up the hardness of your heart.  His Word exposes the weeds in your life and challenges you to surrender to Him so He may uproot them, by the power of the Spirit.

Spiritual plowing takes place as you read your Bible.  At times, a Biblical sermon may convict you.  A Christian book may be used of the Spirit to stir a heart that once was hard. 

We tend to resist the plowing process for several reasons.  First, plowing is a dirty, thankless job.  Secondly, plowing is hard work.  Finally, the tilling process can be painful.  Don't hinder the plowing process.  Without it, you can never enjoy a fruitful harvest. 

God is serious about seeing fruit in your life.  He is not satisfied to see a life full of weeds --- and you shouldn't be either.