12 Sow for yourselves righteousness;
    reap steadfast love;
    break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord,
    that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. (Hosea 10:12 ESV)

What is it in our faith life to break up our fallow ground.

Allowing soil to lie fallow for a growing season lets it to recover. However, it needs to be broken up or the soil can become hard to work the following season. Our “soil” needs to be broken up from time to time so that we do not stagnate in our walk. We need changes in our ministry and in our service to Christ so that we continue to grow. Otherwise it can become very easy to become complacent.

This is why our scripture tells us to “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; for it is time to seek the lord.” It is very easy to allow our lives to become a stony and hard ground that is in desperate need of being broken up. We must fight this by continually seeking ways to better serve God.

Our scripture goes on to speak further about how growth works. Just like with the ground, there must be rain for things to grow. Our lives need the righteous rain of God falling upon it so that we too may grow. However, God is looking for fertile ground for His rain to fall on, not a dry and weary land.