There’s a good chance that no one reading these words is a professional farmer. (All I’ve got going is four robust tomato plants showing out from two planting barrels in our side yard.) 

But all of us are interested in something growing, improving, producing, getting better! Farmers and athletes/coaches must certainly relate.

The Bible says that sowing, planting, growing and reaping is happening all the time; and that we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7) … and sometimes even more than we sow (Mark 4:8). Until we die, maybe we are farmers more than we think! 

God’s Word reminds us in today’s Scripture that there are two particular fields in which we all farm. And it tells us what happens when we farm those two fields. Let’s take a closer look.

Field #1 — My Flesh

The field of my flesh is a high demand/high maintenance field. It craves to be fed and cared for all the time. It seeks as much territory as possible and will outgrow its borders if left unchecked. It grows lots of weeds. It insists on its own way, its independence.

The Bible calls our flesh our sin nature. We all have one. It seeks its own control at about any cost. The harvest it produces is corruption. Destruction and death are its fruit nicknames.

Field #2 — My Spirit

This field is my heart, the spot made especially for God. Here grows my desire to know Him, to serve and please Him. Here grows my yieldedness and joyful obedience to His Spirit to let Him farm me. 

It’s my spirit grafting into His. Farming this field has great reward. When we farm this field well, God promises much fruit, multiplied fruit and fruit that remains. He promises eternal life to come and abundant life now (John 15:5,8,16; Mark 4:8).

All that’s necessary is that we slow down the traffic in our lives, till up the soil to make room for Him, chuck out the rocks of prideful sin, pull weeds (the cares of this world that choke the life out of us), and let His Spirit’s control grow in our hearts. 

The harvest this produces is amazing, both now and eternally. God promises (Mark 4:2-9).

Face facts. We’re doing more farming than we think. Starve the flesh. Feed the Spirit. Farm well, friend.

Reflect: What do your two fields look like? (Is corruption coming or life blooming?) What kind of soil prep needs work in you today — tilling, rock removal, weeding? Would you take an extra moment and meditate on any of the Scriptures cited to help you farm well?

A prayer to consider: Lord and Master, I love Your life-giving, farm-wise words. I trust that You are committed to my growth and my good. Help me farm well — to feed the right field, to starve my sin nature, and watch You grow abundant life in me. 

Jesus, True Vine, graft me to Yourself and produce good fruit in me, by Your Spirit. Amen.