Fallow Ground

There is a very interesting passage in Hosea 10:12, which reads, "Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you."

If you have farm experience, you are likely nodding your head in understanding.  If you don't, you're probably shaking your head, thinking "Fallow ground?"  "I've heard of the ground-breaking comic, Jimmy Fallon, but fallow ground?"  Like the turn on words?  I'm particularly proud, but I digress.

The point of the passage is that God's People, Israel, were not planting the fruit of the Spirit or seeds of the Kingdom.  Instead, they were allowing God's gifts to lay dormant, unused and increasingly unusable like ground that is not tilled.  Untilled, unplowed or fallow ground hardens as time goes by and becomes impervious to seeds that might be dropped upon it and resistant to rain showers that simply run off and into a ravine or river.

In order to be productive, the farmer must break up the ground, tilling and plowing until the seeds will easily drop into the soft soil, which will absorb the coming rains.  The land, so prepared will produce an abundant harvest.

God has kingdom parcels for all of us, gifts that we are to put into use so that the righteousnes of God will fall upon us like rain producing fruitful growth in us and spiritual growth in others with whom we come into contact.  Listen to the words of the Lord in 2 Corinthians 9:8-10, "And God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.  As it is written: 'They have freely scattered their gifts the poor; their righteousness endures forever.'  Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness."

Whether it be time or money or talent or whatever God may allot you to use, if it is not put to use, it lays fallow and hardens, becoming useless in time - impervious to the seed of the Kingdom He provides and the rain of righteousness He sends.  Do not let your gifts go unused and unprofitable to the King, plow up your fallow ground and let righteousness rain on and around you.  Jus' Sayn.