Initiative

What happens to a field that is not carefully cultivated? How does a garden turn out where anything is allowed to grow, without control or discernment? What kind of crops are produced where the soil is not properly tended and there is no effort to provide adequate water and nourishment?

Fields like this inevitably become overrun with weeds. It becomes extremely difficult to grow desirable crops, because they are choked out by what is undesirable. Such fields aren’t places of beauty but of wasted opportunity.

The Bible describes a picture like this in relationship to our lives. Each of us is like a field, filled with potential. But we have choices to make about what we will “grow,” what we will do with our time, and what we will think about and do.

The Bible warns us that, despite their great potential, many people simply are “lacking sense.” They are described as “sluggards.” Although they’ve been given time and resources, they do nothing to improve their situation. Their lives are characterized by lost opportunities.

How does this happen? Often through small steps, a little at a time. It may start with just “a little sleep” and “a little folding of the hands to rest.” But eventually permanent habits are formed.

We each are responsible for how we use and invest the resources God has given us. Although He is ready to bless those who wisely invest those resources, He gives a warning to those who fail to take action: Instead of experiencing blessings and favor, they will end up in poverty.

Today, ask God to help you recognize all the ways He has blessed you and all the Seeds available for you to Sow. Rather than being like the sluggard, seek to be proactive, investing what God has given you.