"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}
(And just for the record, I had to look up the word "fallow." Maybe you are wondering, too? It means "dead," "dormant," "inactive." Ouch! Sadly, my heart can totally relate to that description more often than I'd like.)
Then, I found a couple of index cards that had been tucked into the pages of Galatians with the reference Galatians 6:7-9. And guess what those verses had to say...
"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
{Galatians 5:7-9}
Hosea was not so random, huh?
(Side-note: I just love seeing how God weaves the same story and principles all through His Word.)
These verses from Galatians were given to me weeks ago--with the intention of committing them to memory-- in the Chronological Bible Study I am a part of each Thursday afternoon.
So God blew the airhorn loud and clear to me this morning:
Wake-Up-Call #1: Rachael, what is more important than saturating you mind and heart with God's truth? Quit being lazy! Start memorizing scripture!
Growing up, I participated in "Bible Drill" through my chuch. Though some may think the logistics of it (standing up in front of people, having a certain amount of time to look up or remember a verse, etc) are a bit ridiculous, I can't even express how thankful I am for those 9 years of participation--to this day, God often recalls to my mind verses and passages that we memorized. I am getting teary as I type this...realizing how amazing it is that He has given us His very Word...how we have total access to all the power, comfort, truth, encouragement, conviction, guidance, peace, and love we could ever need or want, yet I often wander aimlessly, short-sightedly, defeatedly, sickening-selfishly through my days...all because I haven't trained myself to live with His Word at the forefront of my heart and mind.
Storing up His Word in my heart is the remedy for that meaningless existence. Because whatever is stored up in my heart, can't help but spill out.
For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Luke 6:45
I came across this video probably over a year ago; it is a powerful motivation to memorize scripture. Definitely worth the 3:52 of your time.
Wake-Up-Call #2:Rachael, are you sowing for eternity? Quit being distracted by the temporary! Get far-sighted. Less you, more Him. Less you, more others.
The Bible is clear. It is not a confusing concept. What I sow, I will reap. I need Him to empty me of me daily. I need Him to "fix my eyes" daily. Nothing else matters. Nothing else truly satisfies.
Thankful for His convicting grace.
