Together in Christ: 'Plow Up the Hard Ground of Your Hearts' — Hosea 10:12

Friday, February 28, 2025

[God] said, "Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. 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

Key Thought

Jesus called us to be preservative salt in a world of decay and light in a world enveloped in darkness. [1] He has chosen us to be His special people of grace who bring His glorious light to those trapped in the darkness of Satan's soul-consuming sin and death. [2] However, God didn't bless us with His grace just to bless us and give us His great promises.

God wants us to love Him and live for His purpose in our lives! [3] He wants us "to plant the good seeds of righteousness" through deeds we do with kindness and through the example of our godly lives. He wants us to keep working the soil of our hearts so we can harvest His love and bring His grace to others. As the Lord showers His righteousness and love on us, we can be conduits of those blessings to others. [4] We can be the salt and light that our world so desperately needs!

So, I encourage you to join me in a practical move to influence and bless those around us. Let's make a list of five people we see regularly. The people on your list can be waiters, convenience store clerks, grocery checkers, neighbors close by us, delivery workers, etc. - anyone we meet several times a month. Then, we commit to praying for each person on our list each day as we sow seeds of hope, righteousness, and kindness into their lives so they can discover God's goodness and grace. We also prepare a natural way for us to share the reason for our hope because of Jesus, so we can be ready to gently and respectfully lead them closer to Him. [5]

[1] Matthew 5:13-16.
[2] 1 Peter 2:9-10.
[3] Romans 8:28-29.
[4] 2 Corinthians 9:6-11.
[5] 1 Peter 3:15-16.

Today's Prayer

Father, please open my eyes to those who need me to sow the seeds of kindness, grace, and righteousness into their lives. Use me to bring them hope and to display Your righteous character, gracious compassion, and unfailing love. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • 1 Peter 2:1-17
  • Matthew 5:11-48

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Illustration

Illustration of Hosea 10:12 NLT — [God] said, "Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. 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."

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About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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