Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.(Hosea 10:12)
The weather seems to be warming up and we can see the evidence of Spring as the bulbs which were planted in the fall begin to bloom among the grey landscape. Yes, the growing season is upon us, but the soil and seeds have been prepared months ago. The bloosoms do not come about on their own. The ground neede to be softened, fertilized, and mulched. The bulbs and seeds needed to be secured well below the surface. God had to water and supply the proper environment for growth.
The prophet Hosea uses agricultural verbage here to folks understand the relationship between sowing and reaping in a spiritual context. If we involve ourselves in the righteousness of God, then the result will be spiritual blessings. We must allow God to soften our hearts to receive his seeds of love, compassion, sacrifice, servitude, and forgiveness. We must receive His discipline to plow up the stony ground allow past sins and disappointments to be turned into new growth and blossoms of forgiveness and re-direction.
The folks of Hosea's day understood the agrarian metaphors. It may be a bit difficult today. perhaps if I say "garbage in, garbage out" we can better understand. What we put into a computer will have a direct result in what we get out of it. Our efforts have much to do with the results, whether it is sports, education, or relationships. Will this be just another spring . . . or a spring into new life??
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