Plowed for God - Martin Wiles

Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you. Hosea 10:12 NLT

Back and forth, back and forth. I watched as the cold steel blade busted the sod, preparing the land for planting.

Both of my grandfathers farmed, and when one quit farming, he maintained a garden. I watched them plow with mules, tractors, hand plows, tillers, and hoes. And when I left home, I, too, wanted to put my hands in the dirt when the warm spring temps arrived.

Like my grandfathers before me, I gardened. When I lived where no previous garden had been, I made one, using tillers, hoes, and hand plows. And if the spot was too hard or too grassy, I enlisted someone who owned a tractor to help me.

Nor did I let living in a small patio townhome with a tiny backyard stop me from plowing. Instead of planting flowers and shrubbery in the landscaped area, I plowed the dirt with a shovel and hoe and planted a garden.

The people Hosea prophesied to had hearts like hard ground. They needed plowing so obedience to God could grow, but they didn’t want to feel the icy blade of God’s conviction plunging into their souls.

Plowing loosens the soil, which in turn allows the plant roots to take hold, grow, and receive the nourishment they need to produce fruit. Hard ground prevents this process. Allowing God to plow the soil of my heart loosens my spirit so things such as love, kindness, and compassion can grow. Things that because of my fleshly nature wouldn’t naturally grow there without the plowing.

Plowing exposes things that need removing, such as rocks, roots, and pieces of glass. I’ve been amazed by the things I’ve found when plowing a piece of ground. Each of them, I’ve removed. I didn’t want anything to hinder my plants from growing. God works in the same manner. When I allow Him to plow the soil of my heart, He removes things like prejudice, hatred, unforgiveness, pride, and anger. Objects and attitudes that prevent love from growing.

When plowed, dirt also soaks up water better. Water runs off hard ground. Having God plow my heart and mind allows the principles of His Word, His answers to my prayers, and His wisdom and understanding to soak into my spirit.

Plowing may hurt for the moment, but allowing God to plow our hearts produces an abundant crop of fruit. Don’t resist God’s plowing.

Tweetable: Has God plowed you lately?

Prayer: Father, we ask You to plow our hearts so we can produce all the fruit You desire. 

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Power under Control - Martin Wiles

But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Psalm 37:11 NKJV

Plowing with a mule requires a great deal of meekness.

At twelve years of age, my grandfather was left to run the family farm and tend to his mother, sisters, and brother. A task he might not have been able to handle had it not been for an uncle who helped him.

Mules were used for plowing fields, but mules could also be stubborn. And so could Uncle Ransom. He had a habit of fussing the mule out, which resulted in its stubborn refusal to move or either a crooked row. My grandfather would intervene, talking gently to the mule. The mule would cooperate and plow a straight row.

Eventually, my grandfather left the farm and began selling ice, then milk, and finally ice cream. Many a customer was gruff with him or with other delivery companies. But my grandfather’s meekness had a way of winning over those stubborn customers.

According to the psalmist, the meek will be rewarded with the earth and with peace. Jesus says a similar thing thousands of years later in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:5).

Some associate meekness with weakness and avoid it like a plague. But the two are not the same. Meekness is power under control, just as the mule controlled his temper and his ability to harm the person wanting him to work and rather worked for the person giving the orders.

David demonstrated meekness when King Saul attempted to kill him and when he fought the giant Goliath. Jesus demonstrated meekness when He refused to retaliate against those who abused Him and tried to take His life.

I demonstrate meekness when I follow their examples. I may have rights and power, but I voluntarily give them up when I have the chance to retaliate, to become angry, to plan revenge, or to undermine those who harm me. Meekness is acting as Jesus did. It’s a willingness to take the lowest place, letting Christ elevate me instead of me attempting to do it myself. It is understanding that greatness in God’s sight is not how many people serve me but how many people I serve.

The inheritance and peace that come from being meek come from knowing I’m living as Christ wants me to live. And in eternity, I’ll be rewarded.

Be meek, not weak, and look for the rewards God will give you now and later.

Tweetable: Have you learned to be meek? 

Prayer: Father, give us an attitude of meekness, and teach us to respond in all situations as Christ would.

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Stubborn Is as Stubborn Does - Martin Wiles

Then they will not be like their ancestors—stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God. Psalm 78:8 NLT

Something magical happened when my grandfather whispered the words, “Giddy up.”

I’ve seen only a few mules in my lifetime. Yet being familiar with the saying, “stubborn as a mule,” gives me a clue about their personality. My grandfather was familiar with mules and their nature. His father died when he was 12, leaving him to run the family farm. 

An uncle helped him, but for some reason, mules didn’t appreciate Uncle Ransom. When he gave the command to “giddy up,” they didn’t most of the time. Or if they did, they stubbornly plowed a crooked row. When my grandfather asked, however, they plowed in straight rows. Something in the nature of Uncle Ransom brought out the stubbornness of the mule’s nature.

Later, after my grandfather gave up farming and began working for an ice and later an ice cream company, he encountered stubbornness once again—and benefited from it. Some business owners were quite challenging to work with because of their stubborn nature. What other salesmen couldn’t deal with, my grandfather confronted with his patient nature and won them over as customers.

God also encountered stubbornness—but not so much in pagans. He discovered it in His chosen people. The people He called out from among all people groups of the world. The people He gave a Promised Land. The people He delivered from 400 years of slavery. Instead of worshipping Him, they often stubbornly followed the wicked ways of their unbelieving neighbors.

I can name a few times when I’ve been stubborn as well. Wanted to do things my way instead of God’s way. Thought I knew best. God gave me good examples to follow, and I stubbornly chose the bad instead. 

Stubbornness keeps me out of God’s will. Like a mule, I’ll refuse to budge toward God’s revealed will, or I’ll plow a crooked row of inconsistency in my obedience. When I’m out of God’s will, paucity follows. God’s blessings can’t or won’t flow when I’m living in stubborn disobedience.

God suggests a cure for stubbornness: remember His blessings of the past and obey His commands. When I do this, I’ll “giddy up”—and gladly, when God whispers the command. 

Don’t let stubbornness cause you to miss out on God’s best. 

Prayer: Father, deal with our stubborn natures, making them pliable, so we’ll willingly obey what You tell us. 

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