CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 725

“Steadfast Love”

Hosea 10:12 (ESV)     Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies…
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The word ‘love’ is extremely diluted in its meaning in our society today. We love everything from hamburgers to cars and various sports. Somewhere in that grouping we also love our spouse, children, and yes, of course our Lord.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. – 1 John 2:15

Genuine love is found only in the steadfast love of God. This character of God’s mercy and loving-kindness should also be evident in the life of Christians who are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you…know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:17

Steadfast love is constant and dependable. It does not waver with circumstances. It remains even when it is not returned in like kind. Steadfast love does not depend upon material wealth or poverty, sickness or heath, difficult trials or easy times.

You say you are a born-again Christian, then how can you ‘fall out of love’ with your spouse? If the fullness of God dwells in your heart then how can you give up on your marriage covenant? Where is steadfastness in quitting?

Note from our reference Scripture that we reap steadfast love from sowing righteousness. God rains righteousness upon us when we seek Him and His righteousness first in our life.

…be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith… – Phil 3:9

The problem for many believers has to do with their fallow ground. Fallow ground is unplowed, unused, and unproductive land. We can correlate it to our use of the fixed amount of time we have here on earth. Are you making good use of your ‘fallow ground’ – your time, for God’s purpose and plan for you? Have you let your fallow ground get hard, full of rocks, weeds, and junk from this world? Through willful sin, are you sowing the seeds of iniquity which will only give you a harvest of injustice. Have you become accustomed to eating the fruit of lies that the enemy has sown as counterfeit righteousness?

God’s call to you today is to break up your fallow ground. Break up the hardness of your heart toward your spouse, family members, or other relationships in need of mercy. Remove the junk and debris – the trappings of this world that you have placed first ahead of your relationship with God. Remove the idols in your life that render your time unproductive for God such as an unhealthy preoccupation with satisfying the desires of the flesh with food, stimulants, and material possessions.

Make your priority to sow the seeds of God’s righteousness and you will reap steadfast love. Then you and others will enjoy God’s presence and the active fruit of the Spirit in your life.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & dedication of your work to the glory of God