Hosea10:12b - Preparing Your Mind For God's Word And A Good Harvest. (updated)
Hosea10:12b - Preparing Your Mind For God's Word And A Good
Harvest. (updated)
Hosea 10:12b (NLT) Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for
now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower
righteousness upon you.'
Hosea 10:12b (CWR) It's time for you to break up the unplowed
ground of your hearts and seek the Lord until I come and rain my
righteousness upon you.
We must break up our fallow ground. We cannot sow among thorns
and hope for a good harvest. [Wycliffe Bible Commentary mod]
Let them cleanse their hearts from all corrupt affections and
lusts, which are as weeds and thorns, and let them be humbled for their
sins, and be of a broken and contrite spirit in the sense of them;
(Matthew Henry's Commentary)
A plowed field is earth that is ready to receive seeds. It is no
longer stony and hard; it has been carefully prepared, and it is
available. Is your life ready for God to work in it? You can break up the
unplowed ground of your heart by acknowledging your sins and receiving
God's forgiveness and guidance. [Life Application SB]
The month of April is said to derive its name from the Latin
verb aperio, which signifies to open, because all the buds and
blossoms are now opening, and we have arrived at the gates of the flowery
year. Reader, if you are yet unsaved, may your heart, in accord with
the universal awakening of nature, be opened to receive the Lord.
Every blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the Lord; be
not out of tune with nature, but let your heart bud and bloom with
holy desires. Do you tell me that the warm blood of youth leaps in
your veins? then, I entreat you, give your vigour to the Lord. It was
my unspeakable happiness to be called in early youth, and I could
fain praise the Lord every day for it. Salvation is priceless, let it
come when it may, but oh! an early salvation has a double value in
it. Young men and maidens, since you may perish ere you reach your
prime, "It is time to seek the Lord." Ye who feel the first signs of
decay, quicken your pace: that hollow cough, that hectic flush, are
warnings which you must not trifle with; with you it is indeed time to
seek the Lord. Did I observe a little grey mingled with your once
luxurious tresses? Years are stealing on apace, and death is drawing
nearer by hasty marches, let each return of spring arouse you to set
your house in order. Dear reader, if you are now advanced in life,
let me entreat and implore you to delay no longer. There is a day of
grace for you now--be thankful for that, but it is a limited season and
grows shorter every time that clock ticks. Here in this silent
chamber, on this first night of another month, I speak to you as best I
can by paper and ink, and from my inmost soul, as God's servant, I
lay before you this warning, "It is time to seek the Lord." Slight
not that work, it may be your last call from destruction, the final
syllable from the lip of grace. [Morning and Evening by Charles H.
Spurgeon]
The people of Hosea's day had become hardened to God's Word.
They had heard it many times before and had grown apathetic to what
God required of them. God's solution was for them to break up the
fallow ground of their hearts. They were to allow Him to soften their
hardened hearts. When the earth was dry and crusty, the farmer would plow
to loosen the soil so it was receptive to the seeds and the rains
that would give life to the crop. Likewise, God's people were to
break up the sinful barriers in their lives that prevented God's Word
from penetrating their hearts. Then, said Hosea, God would give life
and refresh them by raining down on them in righteousness.
As Christians, we must continually cultivate our hearts and
minds so that they are receptive to whatever God tells us. John the
Baptist exhorted those around him to prepare for Jesus' coming. We, too,
can remind others to prepare their lives so that God's righteousness
will penetrate and fill their lives. We can urge them to repent when
we see sin sinking into their lives. We can share the joy that
God's Word brings us and encourage our friends to seek God's will
also. We can model obedience for our children. We can tell of the
blessings that have come to us as a result of our obedience. We can help
to break up the fallow ground in the hearts of those around us.
Hosea admonished God's people to seek the Lord until His
righteousness rained down upon them. We should immediately cultivate our heart
whenever it starts to become hardened toward God. If we keep our hearts
prepared, we will be ready when God's Word comes to us. [Experiencing God
Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby re Hos. 10:12]
Many summers ago, I accidentally snapped off the sprinkler
head that watered my flower garden. Because I didn't repair it, the
flowers shriveled in the harsh sun, and the dirt cracked and buckled
until it looked like a concrete-colored road map. The garden spot that
had once been a fragrant oasis of jasmine and lavender lay in
ruins--hard, unproductive, fallow.
That summer, the death of my baby son, Timmy, began the Great
Depression in my heart. I stopped caring about my garden and my life. I
gave in to the darkest parts of myself and wallowed, for months, in
sorrow, anger, and self-pity. I pulled away from the love of my family
and the shelter of the Lord, and I lay in ruins--hard, unproductive,
fallow.
Then a friend gave me a card with the words of Hosea 10:12
written on it, and I made a tearful and painful decision to break up the
hard places in my heart, places labeled and burdened with bitterness,
anger, envy, and unforgiveness. I surrendered my rubble and ruin to
God, and he rained his loving righteousness on me. As I began to
reconnect with my friends and family, my garden and my life began to bloom
again.
Nancy C. Anderson is a speaker and the author of Women--Living
a Life of Purpose . . . God's Way. [The One Year Bible Live Verse
Devotional re v. 12]
SPECIAL LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:
Absolutely Beautiful Song on the Blessed Hope:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Lk8xXp-fU.
Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/
Excellent Sermon Resource Site: http://www.pmchurch.tv/
Another Excellent Sermon Resource Site:
http://www.lluc.org/podcastlist.php
Excellent Bible Study Site: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
More Spiritual Resources: http://www.aBible.com
