Although it is still winter out our way, there are signs of Spring here and there.  The early blooming plants are beginning to show color.  The bird population is on the move.  Elm trees are beginning to tassel (and dump tons of pollen in the air).  And the farmers and gardeners are beginning to cultivate the soil.

    It always seems strange to me to drive down a road where the fields are brown and the trees and shrubs are bare, only to come upon a farmer plowing the soil.  The sky may be gray, the temperature cold, and the wind strong and sharp, but the farmer is getting ready for the planting of seed.

    The cultivation of the soil is absolutely necessary if there is to be a good crop.  The farmer knows this, so he begins preparation when things don’t look very favorable for growth, believing that the time will come for seeds to go into the ground, plants to come up, and a harvest to be brought in.

    God works this way also.  In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul talks about himself and Apollos as fellow workers with God in the production of a harvest.  Each of them has a specific part in the process.  And God gives life and growth.  Then Paul brings other Christians into the picture.  The KJV says it this way: “We are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry.” (3:9)

    “Ye are God’s husbandry.”  What does that mean?  I think Moffatt’s translation says it best:  “You are God’s field to be planted.”  Not simply God’s field, but God’s cultivated field.  And there is no reason to cultivate a field except in preparation for planting.

    What happens when a field is cultivated in preparation for planting?  If the field has never been planted, there might be the need for heavy equipment to clear the land of trees and rocks.  Then the sharp blade of the plow slices into the soil and turns it over.  Various implements are used to break up the hard pieces.  Some elements might have to be added and worked into the soil to make it produce more.

    What an instructive and helpful analogy this is for us.  God desires each of us to be productive.  He has much work He must do before that happens.  He orders circumstances to break up the soil.  He adds experiences calculated to make us more productive.  He calls and equips some to help in the task.  And in all of this His aim is to produce in our lives a harvest that will be pleasing to Him.

    It might be helpful if we remember each day that we are “God’s field to be planted.”  Then the things God allows to come can be seen as a part of the plan.  And we can begin to cooperate with Him to bear an abundant harvest.

    Thirtyfold?  Sixtyfold?  Let’s go for a hundred!