ANCHOR SCRIPTURE: HOSEA 10:12 – Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE: PSALM 1:3 – And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper
Have you heard of the Noni Tree? Let me tell you about it. The Noni tree, known scientifically as Morinda citrifolia, grows in shady forests, as well as on open rocky or sandy shores of rivers. It matures in about 18 months and begins to bear between 8 and 16 lbs of fruit every month, regardless of the season. Think of an all-season jackfruit! The noni fruit reminds me of Psalm 1:3, which likens us to a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—all-round prosperity. To be this kind of tree, we need to be planted on the fruitful ground of the word of God.
Unlike the Noni tree, your Christian journey requires you to be planted by the streams of water—Christ—to bear fruit in every season. Unfortunately, some Christians are planted on fallow ground. The dictionary defines fallow ground as land that is plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; it is uncultivated, not in use, or inactive for a season.
There comes a time when it is necessary to break fallow ground to bear fruit. When you live in a state of “fallowness”, where your soil is not tended to for a long period, it becomes overgrown with thorns and weeds, making the land unsuitable for seeds to germinate.
The process of maturity for the Noni tree is 18 months, but for the Christian, it is a never-ending cycle of sowing in righteousness and reaping in mercy.
Psalm 1:3 promises us a year-round season of fruitfulness. How, then, can you transition from a fallow ground to a constant season of fruitfulness? Well, it is quite simple: Be Holy, Seek the Lord, Obey His Commandments, and be in a Christian community.
In Hosea 12:10, God gives us the promise of raining righteously on us, but we have a part to play in receiving the righteous rain. Do you want to find out what it is? You can catch up on the concluding part.
- Thoughts of God