The foolish farmer...

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon we had a sermon on the role of the Holy Spirit in working faith in our hearts. The sermon began with the example of a foolish farmer who didn't do anything to prepare his fields for the crops. He didn't plough or sow at all, he just left it all as it was. When asked by his friends and neighbours why, he replied that the Lord will provide. When harvest time came, he prayed for a blessing on the harvest . But because he hadn't done anything previously, is fields didn't contain any crops, they were just weeds and grass. The example was concluded with the pastor saying that although God provides the growth and sustenance of the crops, we are required to use the resources He has given us.

The rest of the sermon was about the manner in which the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts. As Reformed people we confess that the reason we have faith is because of God. If it were up to us, we wouldn't be able to do anything meriting salvation - that is the role of the Holy Spirit. Still we also have to use the resources given us. We can't just sit back and expect God to work faith in our hearts that way, we have to actively use the resources God has given us - especially the resource of His word. We should be passionately involved in our Bible study. Whether it be our personal devotions, our Bible reading with our family, in our Bible Study groups or in the Church Services, we have to be engaged in our study of God's word. In our involvement we should also pray that the Holy Spirit will open our hearts and minds so the we continue to learn more about God in our study of the Bible. We can never stop learning or growing.