For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
The Lord calls His people to repent by preparing the heart for truth with decisive action. Fallow ground is the hard, untilled and neglected heart that must be broken up before the seed is sown so truth can take root and bear fruit. To sow not among thorns is to refuse to let the word take root among sinful desires and harmful habits that choke it, which must be torn out and uprooted rather than tolerated. Breaking up the ground is deep repentance that digs deep to expose and put away selfish love of the world, pride and greed, and it is done by the softening influence of the Holy Spirit with which people are to cooperate by vigilant and persevering effort. This work must be thorough and without delay, involving dying to self, confession of sin, heartfelt repentance and complete consecration, so that the heart is converted, renewed and made fruitful to God.
The Call to Prepare
The Lord's word to Judah and Jerusalem is an earnest appeal to repent by getting the heart ready, and its urgency shows a condition that demanded decisive action to turn the unrepentant around. Fallow ground is the heart not yet prepared to receive truth, pictured as hard, untilled, unused and neglected soil. That ground must be broken up before seed is sown, for only a prepared heart can let truth take root and bear spiritual fruit.
The breaking is a deep and thorough change, wrought by the softening and subduing influence of the Holy Spirit to refine and discipline the heart unto fruit to God's glory. A testimony shaped by Christ's teaching does this plowing work, quickening the conscience and making the heart ready for the seeds of truth. Publications and literature that open blind eyes can help do this opening and preparing of hearts.
Not sowing among thorns means not letting the word take root among sin, clearing sin away instead of planting amid it. The thorns, weeds, briers and evil growths are sinful desires and harmful habits that choke God's word, and they must be torn out, uprooted, cut out as by a plowshare, and overcome rather than tolerated, indulged, or negotiated with. Sin must be met with deep repentance, and thorn-grown soil is reclaimed only by diligent, earnest effort in the name and strength of Jesus, for God works to prepare the heart and calls for cooperation with Him, while evils left to grow become dominant and destroy the person.
Thorough Heart Renewal
Breaking up the ground is deep repentance that digs deep into the heart before truth can take root and bear fruit. That repentance exposes selfish love of the world, pride, avarice and greed so that they can be put away. Thorny growths that choke the word must be uprooted and removed rather than merely cut off at the surface, and this reclaiming requires diligent, earnest effort in the name and strength of Jesus in cooperation with God who works to prepare the heart. Without this preparation long-standing evil habits leave the heart unready, so that good resolutions vanish when temptation comes.
The fallow ground of the heart is broken by the softening and subduing influence of the Holy Spirit, who refines and disciplines it to bring forth fruit to God's glory. God works to prepare the heart and calls for cooperation with Him through vigilant, intelligent, persevering and diligent effort, just as trees are felled and soil is broken preparatory to sowing seed. Cultivating the soil in this intelligent way educates the soul, so that workers upon the land learn spiritual lessons from nature under blessing. This same softening influence is felt in meeting when nearly the whole church comes forward and joins in earnest prayer, and then the Lord comes very nigh.
Breaking up the fallow ground means digging deep and dying to self, giving hours to heart-searching to understand the work of repentance and confession that must be done. That heart-searching leads to confession of sin, heartfelt repentance, decided reformation and thorough consecration. A testimony shaped by Christ's teaching plows up the heart, quickens the conscience, and prepares it for the seeds of truth. This thorough work must be done now without delay, not by slipping over sin or making a half-work, because it must bear the investigation of the judgment where eternal interests are involved and a mistake proves ruin, and God is not to be trifled with. It is done by becoming connected with God and having Jesus present, so that influence is unto salvation and God can use and accept the person to do His work.
Breaking up the ground is a complete renovation of mind, soul and spirit, in which those with determined will who keep self at the helm yield their hearts to the Lord, give up reliance on their own will and way, and are converted. Those whose hearts are broken up are consecrated to His work, filled with the spirit of self-sacrifice, and given solid experience in the things of God. They are held firmly in difficulty without failing nor being discouraged, and are made to strengthen and build up the work instead of tearing down what others are doing. They are freed from selfishness and self-sufficiency.
The work must be deep and thorough, for the hardened, unworked ground must be broken and the weeds, briers and thorny growths of sinful desires and harmful habits must be torn out and overcome rather than tolerated. Evils left to grow become dominant and destroy the person, so they must not be indulged or negotiated with but must be cut out by truth like a plowshare. Where the breaking up is not done hearts remain unyielded to the Holy Spirit, minds run in forbidden channels, and blessing is lost. Where it is done in humbling of heart and seeking the Lord it brings blessing, marvelous transformation of life, full light, acceptable service and spiritual reformation.
Breaking Ground for Mission
Breaking up the ground pictures pioneer labor in fields never before worked, a difficult work done through affliction in which laborers are accepted as God's co-workers and God is glorified in their labor. It commands aggressive missionary work to use the breaking-up plow in new soil, to break up unworked ground and prepare it and sow the seeds of truth to add new territory. This advance requires pressing forward even while grumblers complain and criticize and try to discourage, with the promise not to fail nor be discouraged. Going into new fields to prepare human hearts for God's work draws young workers nearer to God, teaches them they are unable to succeed by themselves and must depend wholly on Him, and helps them grow strong as they face varied needs and difficulties. It calls them to put away self-esteem and self-importance and put on Christ.
Preparing the heart like fallow ground to receive truth means breaking up ground that must be broken before it can receive seed, for fallow ground is a heart not yet prepared to receive truth. Publications that open blind eyes can help do this work of opening hearts and preparing them to receive it. The verse calls Seventh-day Adventists to arise and build up the work in the Southern field, forbids putting any obstruction in the way of those willing to work, and commands making straight in the desert and the dark places of the earth a highway for God by ploughing the field and removing the stones. It is applied to entering fields like Australia and the Southern field among the colored people in Nashville where means are hard to obtain and poverty abounds.
The call for complete renovation of mind, soul, and spirit by breaking up the fallow ground of the heart means that people with determined will who keep self at the helm yield their hearts to the Lord and are converted, giving up reliance on their own will and way. This renewal is urgently needed in Denver and in Boulder as never seen before. Continued resistance in a condition increasing for years leads the Lord to withdraw His Holy Spirit and leave the contending elements to destroy themselves and stubborn men to their own evil surmising, while He puts His Spirit in humble men who feel their own weakness and dare not rely on men strong in their own will and way.
The Lord calls His people to repent by preparing the heart for truth with decisive action. Fallow ground is the hard, untilled and neglected heart that must be broken up before the seed is sown so truth can take root and bear fruit. To sow not among thorns is to refuse to let the word take root among sinful desires and harmful habits that choke it, which must be torn out and uprooted rather than tolerated. Breaking up the ground is deep repentance that digs deep to expose and put away selfish love of the world, pride and greed, and it is done by the softening influence of the Holy Spirit with which people are to cooperate by vigilant and persevering effort. This work must be thorough and without delay, involving dying to self, confession of sin, heartfelt repentance and complete consecration, so that the heart is converted, renewed and made fruitful to God.
The Call to Prepare
The Lord's word to Judah and Jerusalem is an earnest appeal to repent by getting the heart ready, and its urgency shows a condition that demanded decisive action to turn the unrepentant around. Fallow ground is the heart not yet prepared to receive truth, pictured as hard, untilled, unused and neglected soil. That ground must be broken up before seed is sown, for only a prepared heart can let truth take root and bear spiritual fruit.
The breaking is a deep and thorough change, wrought by the softening and subduing influence of the Holy Spirit to refine and discipline the heart unto fruit to God's glory. A testimony shaped by Christ's teaching does this plowing work, quickening the conscience and making the heart ready for the seeds of truth. Publications and literature that open blind eyes can help do this opening and preparing of hearts.
Not sowing among thorns means not letting the word take root among sin, clearing sin away instead of planting amid it. The thorns, weeds, briers and evil growths are sinful desires and harmful habits that choke God's word, and they must be torn out, uprooted, cut out as by a plowshare, and overcome rather than tolerated, indulged, or negotiated with. Sin must be met with deep repentance, and thorn-grown soil is reclaimed only by diligent, earnest effort in the name and strength of Jesus, for God works to prepare the heart and calls for cooperation with Him, while evils left to grow become dominant and destroy the person.
Thorough Heart Renewal
Breaking up the ground is deep repentance that digs deep into the heart before truth can take root and bear fruit. That repentance exposes selfish love of the world, pride, avarice and greed so that they can be put away. Thorny growths that choke the word must be uprooted and removed rather than merely cut off at the surface, and this reclaiming requires diligent, earnest effort in the name and strength of Jesus in cooperation with God who works to prepare the heart. Without this preparation long-standing evil habits leave the heart unready, so that good resolutions vanish when temptation comes.
The fallow ground of the heart is broken by the softening and subduing influence of the Holy Spirit, who refines and disciplines it to bring forth fruit to God's glory. God works to prepare the heart and calls for cooperation with Him through vigilant, intelligent, persevering and diligent effort, just as trees are felled and soil is broken preparatory to sowing seed. Cultivating the soil in this intelligent way educates the soul, so that workers upon the land learn spiritual lessons from nature under blessing. This same softening influence is felt in meeting when nearly the whole church comes forward and joins in earnest prayer, and then the Lord comes very nigh.
Breaking up the fallow ground means digging deep and dying to self, giving hours to heart-searching to understand the work of repentance and confession that must be done. That heart-searching leads to confession of sin, heartfelt repentance, decided reformation and thorough consecration. A testimony shaped by Christ's teaching plows up the heart, quickens the conscience, and prepares it for the seeds of truth. This thorough work must be done now without delay, not by slipping over sin or making a half-work, because it must bear the investigation of the judgment where eternal interests are involved and a mistake proves ruin, and God is not to be trifled with. It is done by becoming connected with God and having Jesus present, so that influence is unto salvation and God can use and accept the person to do His work.
Breaking up the ground is a complete renovation of mind, soul and spirit, in which those with determined will who keep self at the helm yield their hearts to the Lord, give up reliance on their own will and way, and are converted. Those whose hearts are broken up are consecrated to His work, filled with the spirit of self-sacrifice, and given solid experience in the things of God. They are held firmly in difficulty without failing nor being discouraged, and are made to strengthen and build up the work instead of tearing down what others are doing. They are freed from selfishness and self-sufficiency.
The work must be deep and thorough, for the hardened, unworked ground must be broken and the weeds, briers and thorny growths of sinful desires and harmful habits must be torn out and overcome rather than tolerated. Evils left to grow become dominant and destroy the person, so they must not be indulged or negotiated with but must be cut out by truth like a plowshare. Where the breaking up is not done hearts remain unyielded to the Holy Spirit, minds run in forbidden channels, and blessing is lost. Where it is done in humbling of heart and seeking the Lord it brings blessing, marvelous transformation of life, full light, acceptable service and spiritual reformation.
Breaking Ground for Mission
Breaking up the ground pictures pioneer labor in fields never before worked, a difficult work done through affliction in which laborers are accepted as God's co-workers and God is glorified in their labor. It commands aggressive missionary work to use the breaking-up plow in new soil, to break up unworked ground and prepare it and sow the seeds of truth to add new territory. This advance requires pressing forward even while grumblers complain and criticize and try to discourage, with the promise not to fail nor be discouraged. Going into new fields to prepare human hearts for God's work draws young workers nearer to God, teaches them they are unable to succeed by themselves and must depend wholly on Him, and helps them grow strong as they face varied needs and difficulties. It calls them to put away self-esteem and self-importance and put on Christ.
Preparing the heart like fallow ground to receive truth means breaking up ground that must be broken before it can receive seed, for fallow ground is a heart not yet prepared to receive truth. Publications that open blind eyes can help do this work of opening hearts and preparing them to receive it. The verse calls Seventh-day Adventists to arise and build up the work in the Southern field, forbids putting any obstruction in the way of those willing to work, and commands making straight in the desert and the dark places of the earth a highway for God by ploughing the field and removing the stones. It is applied to entering fields like Australia and the Southern field among the colored people in Nashville where means are hard to obtain and poverty abounds.
The call for complete renovation of mind, soul, and spirit by breaking up the fallow ground of the heart means that people with determined will who keep self at the helm yield their hearts to the Lord and are converted, giving up reliance on their own will and way. This renewal is urgently needed in Denver and in Boulder as never seen before. Continued resistance in a condition increasing for years leads the Lord to withdraw His Holy Spirit and leave the contending elements to destroy themselves and stubborn men to their own evil surmising, while He puts His Spirit in humble men who feel their own weakness and dare not rely on men strong in their own will and way.