Dear BPCWA worshipper, We continue looking at God’s command, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you” (Ho 10:12). Last week, we saw the importance of having prepared hearts as we come before God and listen to His Word. When we continue the same way regardless of whatever we hear, the easy excuse can be that “I’ve heard that before, it’s nothing new to me”. While the messenger of God’s Word must be faithful to what He proclaims, the hearer of His Word also has a responsibility to prepare their hearts to be ready for His Word. Let us not be Christians who, regardless of what is preached, always excuse ourselves with “that doesn’t apply to me” or “no one is perfect and I’m not that bad”. Let us also not be Christians who get upset and even more hardened when God’s Word points out sin. It is precisely such hearts that must have their ground broken up before it can be useful for the Lord. Without breaking up the fallow ground of one’s heart, God’s Word is like the proverbial water off the duck’s back – it may fall on the person but quickly glides off without having any effect on the individual’s life. In farming, the unbroken fallow ground has the same effect. The water is not absorbed to do its necessary work below the ground surface. There will be no growth. So, we have seen how important it is not to harden our hearts when we read or receive God’s Word. Today, we will examine the next step that must be taken after the fallow ground is broken up.

Time to sow. The purpose of the ground is for yielding crops. Sowing without breaking up the hardness of the ground will not produce any growing crops. Breaking up the fallow ground must go hand in hand with sowing for fruitfulness. God uses the analogy of sowing to tell us that it is about works of righteousness. Genuine dealing with sins is not merely in declarations, but also in deeds. It is not just about removing the sin. There must be a concerted and full turning to God and God’s things. Just as removing the hardness must be done by ourselves, so must the sowing in righteousness. Those that God puts in authority over an individual – the parents and the husband for example – must exercise their authority to keep those under them from sinning and turn them back on the godly path. But “sow” is here directly addressed as a command to the individual to do it, even if it is not enforced by another. The farmer that does not sow does not have fruit. Adults, we need to live right before God because we desire to grow spiritually and bear fruit in our lives. Children, you must obey God and not wait till your parents tell you to. That is why breaking up the ground and sowing go hand in hand. Both are done by the person themself.

You know what is right, so sow! God will not work on you irresistibly to force your compliance after salvation. He calls us to obey Him with our restored will. For some, this may be the difficult part. They have been living in carnality for so long that seeking God may seem cumbersome and quite unnecessary to them. They realise that carnality is not good, but they do not yearn for the spiritual. God is therefore openly commanding all such to make changes to walk in righteousness. Righteousness must begin with changing one’s schedules and habits to “seek the LORD” (Ho 10:12). It means resuming one’s personal walk with God in reading and prayer. It means learning about Him at Bible Studies, fellowships, and other opportunities to do so. It means being diligent in our areas of service. It means evangelising whenever there are opportunities. Fundamentally, it means that one is committed and serious about wanting to restore fellowship and closeness with God, filling up the time that was once spent in sin, carnality, and worldliness on the things of God. One who sows to righteousness organises their time and schedule around God. So, if previously your worldly schedule determined what you did/ didn’t do, now God’s commands and time with Him determine what you do/don’t do. It is not righteous acts that they are seeking, but God.  Since you are seeking God, your speech, affections, pastimes, and leisure will be prioritised to direct your life to bring you closer to the God that you are seeking. What are your choices, when left to yourself, and no one is watching or instructing you to do something? What is your pursuit in life? This will often reveal if you are sowing in righteousness and seeking God.

Decide to sow now. Now is an opportune time. We have completed our annual camp and retreat. You have heard sermons on what it means to walk as Christ walked. Every Christian will know that Christ did not come to live an easy life of luxury, ease, and comfort. He was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isa 53:3). He lived not to do His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him. He did not have a timetable that allowed much (if any) leisure, but declared, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (Joh 9:4). We often think that one must live a long life of service in order to be fruitful for God. Christ did not have that luxury, but He used every ounce of His energy and every second of His time. In His lifetime, Christ accomplished for God far more than what any octogenarian had ever done. How will you respond now . . . “good to hear of such things . . . if it’s for Christ, but not for my life”? Moreover, we may be willing to rid ourselves of what is “obviously” sinful in our lives. Striving for righteousness may not be something that we aspire to. Perhaps at best, we are satisfied to be “not in known sin”. Maybe in our minds, living a righteous life fully for God takes too much sacrifice and effort. And such a life is too tiring, even demanding, for what we envision for ourselves. We don’t have to be so “extreme”. If so, you are not willing to fulfill the command to “sow to righteousness”.  Remember, we are called to walk as Christ walked at any age and under any circumstance.

If we think all the above is extreme, then we need to cut out 1 John 2:6, burn it to ashes, and tell God this verse about walking just like His Son walked on earth is too much to expect of us after saving us from eternal judgement.

May we not continue in rebellion and hardness of heart like the children of Israel during Hosea’s time. Disobedience and stubbornness bring sure chastisement. Righteousness and seeking God bring an abundance of blessings around us, so much so that God compares it to rain. We have a God who graciously calls and bids us to change that because He desires to bless us rather than chastise us. The covenantal blessings are promised when we sow to righteousness. The reward is not in “anything” we will receive but in God Himself. He will “come and rain righteousness upon you” (Ho 10:12). When we do not work righteousness, God works against us. When we work righteousness, God works with and for us as we live for Him. The blessings of the Beatitudes can be ours – but do we want it?

Mt 5:6-8  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Yours in our Lord’s service,
Pastor