Nearer My God

https://www.bible.com/stories/40864

I'm reading the @YouVersion plan 'Preparing the Soil for Spiritual Awakening: 5-Day Plan With Dr. Michael Youssef'.

Breaking Hard Ground Imagine yourself as a farmer, and your life is a vast field. You sow seeds on soil sparingly, and these seeds represent your intentions, choices, and actions. Hosea uses a similar analogy in Hosea 10:12 to describe God’s people. Israel had sown seeds of sin and unrighteousness, causing the soil of their hearts to become unreceptive to God's commands. And right as God's people were about to reap a harvest of God’s judgment, the prophet Hosea spoke with urgency: "Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD until he comes and showers his righteousness on you." Hosea 10:12 Just as a farmer reaps far more than they sow, our God promises that we, too, will reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7-9). But, this verse also shows us it’s not enough to sow righteousness. We must also break up the uncultivated ground (Hosea 10:12). Our hearts become like idle ground when we allow it to grow hard and stubborn—resisting God's Word and work in our lives. But God wants His people to prepare the soil of their hearts to receive the seed of His Word by seeking Him. Seeking the Lord is like the early rain in farming season; it’s that essential ingredient that softens the soil and readies it for growth. Do you desire to grow spiritually? "It is time to seek the Lord." "It is time to seek the Lord." "It is time to seek the Lord." Don't wait. Seek Him eagerly and expectantly today. Meditate on Hosea 10:12; let it move you to examine your own life: Are you sowing seeds of righteousness and reaping the fruit of unfailing love? It is never too late to seek the Lord—turn your heart to the One who promises to shower His abundant mercy and grace upon you.

Breaking Hard Ground Imagine yourself as a farmer, and your life is a vast field. You sow seeds on soil sparingly, and these seeds represent your intentions, choices, and actions. Hosea uses a similar analogy in Hosea 10:12 to describe God’s people. Israel had sown seeds of sin and unrighteousness, causing the soil of their hearts to become unreceptive to God's commands. And right as God's people were about to reap a harvest of God’s judgment, the prophet Hosea spoke with urgency: "Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD until he comes and showers his righteousness on you." Hosea 10:12 Just as a farmer reaps far more than they sow, our God promises that we, too, will reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7-9). But, this verse also shows us it’s not enough to sow righteousness. We must also break up the uncultivated ground (Hosea 10:12). Our hearts become like idle ground when we allow it to grow hard and stubborn—resisting God's Word and work in our lives. But God wants His people to prepare the soil of their hearts to receive the seed of His Word by seeking Him. Seeking the Lord is like the early rain in farming season; it’s that essential ingredient that softens the soil and readies it for growth. Do you desire to grow spiritually? "It is time to seek the Lord." "It is time to seek the Lord." "It is time to seek the Lord." Don't wait. Seek Him eagerly and expectantly today. Meditate on Hosea 10:12; let it move you to examine your own life: Are you sowing seeds of righteousness and reaping the fruit of unfailing love? It is never too late to seek the Lord—turn your heart to the One who promises to shower His abundant mercy and grace upon you.

https://www.bible.com/stories/40810

https://www.bible.com/stories/41275

Why It Matters

Why It Matters When we feel like everything around us is broken or breaking, remember that God can work through our broken world with more purpose than we initially see. He created us and is able to use our brokenness for something good.

Why Am I So Broken?

Why Am I So Broken? Written by Mikaila Bisson During my Wednesday night pottery class, a piece I was working on broke during the firing process. My teacher, in the same breath as telling me how to fix it, mentioned “kintsugi”—the Japanese form of fixing pottery with gold to make it even better. Maybe it’s just me paying attention, but the world seems to be obsessed with taking something broken and making it better. Especially, it seems, as we’re noticing the cracks of our broken world more and more. By extension, maybe we’re noticing our own brokenness and are wondering how we can make that better, too. When thinking about my brokenness, I often defer to the much-quoted verses of Psalm 139:13–14. I used to put these verses in the context of my personal appearance, conveniently skipping over the very first part of verse 13: “For you created my inmost being” (emphasis added). That means that, yes, God created our appearance, but he also created our inner self—our likes, dislikes, heart, and soul. Even more than that, he understands those things and knows what we struggle with—what we consider broken. He’s able to take our broken pieces and repurpose them, even using them for good. Ultimately, he showed us this by Jesus’s death and resurrection. God took the epitome of brokenness—death—and used it to transform our lives, taking us from the grave and giving us new purpose. Now whenever I see my broken pottery piece, I’m reminded that God can bring good from any situation, even mine.