Session 9

What Seeds Are You Planting?

From Hosea: A 12-Day Devotional

In Hosea 10, Israel is described as a healthy vine destroyed by vanity. As God prospered Israel, they took the wealth they received and "poured it on the altars of their foreign gods." Their hearts were fickle, making empty promises and floating from one god to another based on what worked best for them at the time. The sins of the people are compared to seeds that produce poisonous weeds. The people planted wickedness and reaped evil.

To produce a fruitful harvest, a farmer has to plow, plant and water the ground properly. Training hearts works the same way. Hosea 10:12 instructs the people to sow righteousness and break up unplowed ground in order to reap the fruit of God's unfailing love.

To reap the best fruit, we cannot just barely open our heart to God. We must prepare our hearts by completely breaking open the ground around it. Sin forms a thick wall around the heart, and we must actively awaken and engage our hearts to becoming more like God in order to harvest the best fruit.

Through correction, repentance, and grace, we are able to break open the unplowed ground and receive the blessings God wants to give us. In farming, time is of the essence. The time to reap the best fruit is now. Let the seed you sow be of the best seed so you waste no time before reaping the best fruit.

Reflect:

• Consider the ground in your heart. Is it walled-up with sin? How can you plow the ground to better receive God and all He wants to offer you?
• What’s one way you can humble yourself and allow the Holy Spirit to change your heart and mind?