Hosea 10:12 states; 

I 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’ This verse is filled with so much good stuff and an interesting progression.  Let’s take a moment and look at it: 

1. Plant the good seeds of righteousness. I think all of us at some point have tried to grow plants or a garden in some capacity.  I remember as a kid buying a pack of watermelon seeds and planting them.  I was so excited with the thoughts of growing my very own fruit and eat it!  After much watering, more watering, and even more waiting - nothing.  Oh wait, yes maybe a weed grew! But it turns out, the seeds were not good - barren seeds that were unable to produce.  That is why in this passage it states to plant good seeds - seeds of righteousness.  In Matthew it states that the righteous live by faith.  So these good seeds of righteousness, that is right living, are planted in grow in faith.  Two important keys: plant good seeds in our live through walking by faith. At the end of this season, it is time to gather the harvest.  

2. Harvest a crop of love Love.  The Bible speaks so much on this topic.  Oh the deep love of Christ!  It states in 1 Corinthians that faith, hope, and love will endure forever, but the greatest of these - LOVE.  After planting the seeds of righteousness in faith, an amazing thing will happen.  Love comes forth - love as Christ loved.  A holy love that reaches beyond just the planting field, in this context each of us, and will spread and nourish those around us.  Are you yielding a crop of love? If not, then we may have some plowing to do…   

3. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts and seek the Lord We are all familiar with the Parable of the Sower.  When seed fell on bad, little, or dry soil, it could not produce any crop.  When the sun came out or the rain poured, the seed was washed away.  It is absolutely necessary to make sure that we continue to have good soil in order to receive what God is bringing.  If your soil is dry and worn out, ask God to plow the ground, seek His face.  He will prepare your thirsty, cracked, and barren life to receive His refreshing water.  Open your heart, seek the Lord - and HE WILL POUR OUT HIS PRESENCE!  

4. God shows up and we are immersed in showers of righteousness I love this.  Seek the Lord and He will come - you know earlier in Hosea there’s a passages that states “press on to know the Lord…He will come to us like the rain, the spring rain watering the earth.”  What a fantastic analogy - the spring rain, a rain that a prepared, dry and thirsty ground laps up.  As we seek the Lord, He will show up and shower us in His righteousness and with sweet fragrance of His Presence.  What a great truth! Let us be encouraged to plant good seed, live in a manner producing love, and best of all, open our heart to receive His showers of righteousness.  Open up and drink in deep :)