“Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns.” Jeremiah 4:3b NLT

Every farmer knows that in order to harvest a bountiful crop there is plenty of hard work involved along with adequate rainfall and proper sunlight. It begins in early spring by tilling the ground and preparing it for planting seed. Many farmers today also used a “no-till farming” method when planting seed. Whichever method is used, the soil must be in a condition best suitable for the seed to be received to produce the highest potential for growth. The farmer’s goal is for a bountiful harvest.

A goal of every Christian should be a bountiful harvest of spiritual growth. It is an on-going process of growing in our love for Christ and in the knowledge of His love for us. It is growing in the understanding of His Word by daily reading and applying it to our lives. A bountiful harvest of faith, hope, and love is to be lived out for all to see and benefit from it.

Unfortunately there is problem today among many Christians, “Unprepared Soil.” Many Christians are not only lacking a spiritual bounty to share, but they are also not receiving the blessings themselves. Just as proper condition of the soil is vital to receiving Salvation (Parable of the Sower – Luke 8:4-15), it is equally important for those who know the Lord to continue to grow spiritually and in all truth. Hearts and minds that are unprepared are nothing but hard ground as the prophet Jeremiah notes. Our hearts and minds need to be broken up, plowed up, and ready to receive the Word of the Lord. Hosea, another Old Testament prophet, writes “Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord.” (Hosea 10:12 nasb)

The questions before each of us are “Am I growing spiritually?” “Am I receiving a blessing each time I read the Bible or hear a sermon?” “Do I have a blessed intimate prayer time with God?” or “Does my heart need to be re-tilled, turned over, and soften into good soil?” Our hearts and minds are easily harden by neglecting the things of God and paying more attention to the things of this world.

Break up your hard ground and prepare your soil to receive the spiritual seeds watered by God’s showers of blessings with the light of His Son Jesus Christ. In doing so you will reap a bountiful spiritual harvest with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The following devotional was written on February 9, 2020

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.” Psalm 118:8-9 KJV

Have you ever thought about where you place your trust? There are many days when we need help and guidance as we travel on the road of life. Where do you go and who can you trust? Do you go to others who are smarter than you? That is not a bad idea if they are qualified to help. Perhaps you rely on the government and those in positions of authority. Again, these are sensible choices for help in areas beyond your expertise or in seeking justice. However, do you rely on yourself, not trusting anyone, no matter the situation? Not exactly the best idea! But there is one who you can trust completely in everything, the Lord God Almighty!

So where is your trust? I must ask myself the same question. In preparing this devotional this week, I became aware of some significant changes in my place of employment. My first reaction was how we get through this. What adjustments need to be made? What resources do we need? I applied the appropriate management plan of action, but in reality it got the best of me as it so often does. Then the Lord reminded me, in over forty years of management, there has never been a time when He had failed to provide for me. I failed to trust Him first before proceeding with the plan of action.

The psalmist writes, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man,” and that includes yourself. . “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.” Put your trust in the one who knows you intimately, even better that you know yourself. Trust the Lord who created the universe and gave you life. He knows a lot more than you and I. He will lead you in the right direction. So, where is your trust?

“And Solomon, my son, learn to know the God of your ancestors intimately. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and a willing mind. For the LORD sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him, you will find him. But if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” 1 Chronicles 28:9 NLT

It is not always easy to get motivated. There are times when you just don’t feel like doing anything. It could be caused by emotions, physical fatigue, or in my case the brain won’t let me respond as it should, I think they call it ‘not being as young as I used to be.’ But once I get going, I’m good.

Not being motivated to worship and serve God has nothing to do with how old or young you are. It does happen, and there are many reasons for lack of motivation for God. There are many things that get in the way and distract us daily. We find ourselves picking and choosing what we have time for with what we enjoy most and pursuing those interests. After all, there are only twenty-four hours in a day. And some would say, life gets in the way. Yes, it is complicated, especially for young people with children. Life is hard enough, but trying to live life without a commitment to God is not going to work. You will find life even more frustrating, and you will begin to run around in circles losing motivation even in those things important to you.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was instructed by his father King David to get to know God intimately. David told his son to worship and serve God with a whole heart and a willing mind. This is one hundred percent commitment. With every ounce of Solomon’s being he was to worship and serve his God. David let Solomon know that God saw his heart and would know every plan and thought he had. God knows each of our hearts and every thought in our minds. He knows us intimately and He wants us to know Him intimately and to worship and serve Him with our whole hearts and a willing mind. So, let’s get motivated.

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.” Matthew 7:28, 29 NLT

Authority is power based on the right to command. Those in positions of authority have the right to command those who are under their authority. Countless are the positions of authority in the world. Anyone in charge of anything is in authority. Most notable are those in governing positions from presidents, prime ministers, members of legislatures and parliaments down to local assemblies. Outside of governing, there are others with authority such as schoolteachers and administrators, a foreman over a group of workers, coaches and team captains, any managerial position in the vast businesses such as retail management where I have spent most of life, and the list continues. For all who hold positions of authority, do we realized that we do not have any real authority at all? Authority is power based on the right to command in which none of us have that right. The right to command belongs to God alone.

Paul, writing to the Romans, said the following, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” (Ro.13:1 nlt) Again, if you are in authority, do you realize you have been placed there by God?

When Jesus completed His teaching to the disciples in the Sermon on the Mount, those who witnessed and heard Jesus’ words were astonished. It was described as teaching with real authority. The people in the crowd often heard the teaching of the scribes. The scribes taught according to tradition and quoting noteworthy rabbis. They presented nothing as coming from their own authority. A. B. Bruce is explained it simply, “The scribes spoke by authority, while Jesus spoke with authority.”

As Christians we have the authority to claim and preach the word of God as truth. Authority given to us by the one with the authority to do so, God the Father. Jesus spoke with authority as He is God the Son. He summed up His message on the mountain with an example of two builders. If one will obey the words Jesus spoke, he will be like a wise builder who built his house on a firm foundation, but the one who does not obey Jesus’s teaching will be like a foolish builder who builds his house on sand. Needless to say, one will stand and one will not. These words from the one who spoke ‘with authority.’

“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.’” Matthew 22:37-40 NLT

How good are you at receiving and following orders? Well, you may say that depends on who is giving them. If you are or ever have been in the military, your answer would most likely be ‘very good.’ Your commanding officer gives you daily strategical orders to be carried out. Failure to carry them will result in strict discipline. Commands given by authority figures in the Armed Services are to build character, integrity, bonding, and to save lives. Jesus gives every Christian two commands to be obeyed for the same reasons.

When Jesus was asked by a lawyer (an expert in religious law) what was the most important commandment in the Law, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the  LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’” (Mt.22:37 nlt) Jesus said, ‘you must’ or ‘you shall’ as in some translations. This is a command, not an option. To some this may sound arrogant to be commanded to love someone. But as in the military, commands are given for our own good and for others around us. Jesus further commanded, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt.22:39 nlt) It is for our own good and for those around us.

Jesus combined all the commandments of God into two. Jesus is saying if we obey these two wholeheartedly, we will be sure to obey the rest. It will come naturally without thinking about it. The importance of ‘you must’ is clearly seen. “The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Mt.22:40 nlt) “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. (and) Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt.22:37, 39 nlt) For our own good and for those around us you must.

“News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” Matthew 4:24 NIV

I am sure many of you have heard of the term “going viral.” You may have used it yourself in describing something you have seen going viral. The source for the term used today comes as a product of social media outlets, mostly through videos, comments, and news events shared on these various sites. As more and more people share these posts, it rapidly multiplies the coverage on social media platforms making it almost impossible to miss. You may or may not agree on the content, but you cannot deny its effectiveness in reaching people.

Although the term “going viral” is related to today’s technological advancements, the concept of “going viral” is as old as history itself. It may have taken a little longer but the effects were still the same. The more spectacular and unbelieving the news events seem to be the more it would be spread abroad. One who has personally seen or experienced such an event would be most excited to share the news. Early in Jesus’ ministry on earth news about Him went viral as He taught, proclaimed the Gospel, and healed people of every kind of disease and sickness.

The people who witnessed and experienced the healings shared the news of Jesus with the methods of their day. No doubt the news spread quickly and soon people from all Syria were coming to Him for healing and casting out demons. As the word continue to spread “Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.” (Mt. 4:25 niv) The good news of Jesus Christ was “going viral.”

Today we have the same good news the people had in Jesus’ day. The fact is we have a more complete understanding of who Jesus is. We certainly have more advanced capabilities to share what we know and have experienced about Jesus. Are we using all our available resources to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and see it ‘going viral’?

Read: Psalm 41 NLT – Psalm 41 – For the choir director: A – Bible Gateway

“Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor! The LORD rescues them when they are in trouble. The LORD protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies. The LORD nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health.” Psalm 41:1-3 NLT

Guarantees are hard to come by these days. There is no such thing as a ‘sure thing.’ Certain consumer products are labeled to be guaranteed to work for a specified about of time, but we all know that is not always the case. You are guaranteed a degree by a major university if you study hard and apply yourself, but the school suddenly closes without warning. The same is true in the workplace, you are guaranteed employment if the company can afford to stay in business. There are no guarantees, or sure things, in life outside the intervention of the Lord God.

David, the author of Psalm 41, gives us the assurance that joy is guaranteed when we are kind to the poor. These first three verses of Psalm 41 correspond to one of Jesus’ Beatitudes given in the Sermon on the Mount. “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Mt.5:7 nlt) David is ill and sees himself in this psalm he is writing. He was one who had shown mercy and knew the joy he had helping others. David trusted the Lord would show mercy and heal him giving him future joy in helping others who are sick and poor. David understood this as a sure thing.

Joy is extended to us as we give to the poor and meet their needs. The recipient of the gift is joyous in the generosity of the giver for the adequate supply of needed substance. David continues noting the blessings bestowed upon those who are kind to the poor. The Lord God will rescue them from trouble and their enemies giving them on-going protection and prosperity. These are signs of a sure thing, guaranteed joy when helping the poor. David was confident God would show him mercy as he had shown mercy to those under his rule who needed help. The Lord will sustain us in our continued efforts to help the poor, bringing joy to all and that is a sure thing!