When the Soil Ain’t Ready
Scripture
Acts 11:15-18 (NASB95)
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life."
Cowboy Wisdom:
Any rancher knows you can't plant crops in hard, rocky ground and expect a harvest. You've got to plow up that soil, break up the clods, and get it ready to receive the seed. The Jerusalem church had hard hearts when it came to the Gentiles, but once Peter shared what God had done, their hearts softened like spring rain on dry earth.
Sometimes we get so set in our ways that we can't see what God's trying to do right in front of us. We're worried about the dirt on the carpet while God's saving souls. If we want God to do great things through us, we've got to let Him work the hardness out of our hearts first. The best part is, once those Jewish believers got their hearts right, they didn't just tolerate what God was doing—they glorified Him for it. When we let God break up our hard ground, He can plant seeds we never imagined would grow. It's like when a stubborn horse finally stops fighting the bit and realizes the rider's been trying to lead him to water all along. Once we surrender our pride and prejudice, we can finally see the bigger picture of what God's been doing the whole time.
Questions for Reflection:
What "dirt on the carpet" issues distract you from celebrating what God is doing in others' lives?
Is there hardness in your heart toward certain types of people that needs to be plowed up?
How can you prepare your spiritual soil to be ready for God's work?
Prayer Focus:
Father, plow up the hard ground in my heart. Remove my prejudices, my judgmental attitudes, and my narrow vision of who deserves Your grace. Help me to rejoice when anyone comes to know You, regardless of their background.
