By Doug Creamer

There is always a mixture of feelings when it is time to go back to work after a nice break. There is the part of you that wants to continue the nice time that you are having away from work. Then there is the part of you that wants to get back into the routines of life. My time off was good and refreshing.

One problem I have is getting up in the dark. The sky is starting to get light while I am eating breakfast, which gives me hope. I read someplace that we will gain 35 minutes of daylight by the end of January. Come on, longer days!

I went to the mailbox the other day and found some seed catalogs. I sat in my recliner and looked at all the fruits and vegetables. My mouth was watering for all those tasty treats. I walked out and looked at the vegetable beds and started dreaming about what I might grow and how I might protect things better from the deer and critters who want to help themselves to my stuff.

I know gardening season is still a few months away. I love springtime because everything begins to grow and I love to get outside and work in the soil. Those seed catalogs sure made me excited for spring.

I think I am going to get a truckload of soil for my garden this spring. I have been growing my vegetables in raised beds for a number of years and the soil needs to be replenished. I put the leaves in the garden, but I think a fresh supply of good soil might improve my harvest. The quality of the soil makes a difference in the harvest.

Between the catalogs and my pastor, I can’t stop thinking about gardening. My pastor talked about fertile soil on Sunday. He wants us to get our hearts ready to receive God’s word. He said we needed to work the fallow ground to prepare the soil of our hearts for all that God wants to do in our lives this year.

The parable of the sower teaches us about soil. There was the rocky place, the path, the weedy area, and the good, fertile soil. The only seed that produced a return for the farmer was the seed that fell in the fertile soil. It seems to me that Jesus was teaching us that we need to work on the soil of our hearts if we want to produce a harvest for Him.

Each spring I run the tiller through my garden. I make at least three passes, going deeper each time. Once the soil is fluffed up I make the rows and add fertilizer. Sometimes I will add some soil to help the seeds start growing.

If God wants to create fertile soil in us, what does He need to do? The Holy Spirit acts as a tiller to dig the fallow ground in our hearts. We need to work with the Spirit by adding God’s word to our lives. We will also need to add the fertilizer of prayer to get God’s seeds to grow.

The work will not end there. We will have to guard our hearts from the weeds that want to keep us unproductive. Distractions and temptations can choke out the good seed God plants in our hearts. Once we start to see some fruit starting to form we have to be on our guard against the critters that want to steal our harvest. Laziness or busyness can keep us from enjoying a great harvest.

I want a harvest in my life this year. I think I hear the Holy Spirit tiller running and I know where He is aiming. My heart needs to be stirred for the things of God. I have been reading the 23rd Psalm over the past few months. It’s hard to believe that each time I read it I see something different about God and His love. In my daily devotions, I am reading more slowly, seeking more, and discovering a deeper understanding and relationship with Him.

I want to encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to till the soil of your heart and refresh your relationship with God. I believe God wants to do new things in your life. He needs fresh, fertile soil to plant the new seeds in you. If we want God to get a harvest in our lives, then we need to give Him room to work that fallow ground. Let His word come alive in you and pray and talk with Him because I see a harvest on the way.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com.