It depends on what you want to harvest. But first, why is this important? The soil condition or pH measures the acid – alkaline levels of the soil. This will determine if the plant can draw nutrients (food) from the soil. Plants, like people, are different. Blueberries & potatoes like low pH acid soil of 4.-5. Okra & asparagus like a high pH alkaline soil of 7.0 – 8.5. Rice thrives when the pH is 5.5 to 6.5 while soybeans thrive 6.3 to 6.5.

It is essential to know the condition of the soil before you plant. It always goes back to the question, what do you want to harvest? During the fall dad would walk through a field taking soil samples to be sent off for analysis. The results would tell him what he needed to do to prepare the soil before planting.

Our hearts, like the soil, will grow something. Left to its own way it will produce weeds. But a harvest requires intentionality…purpose. One of the first steps is preparing for the harvest before you plant.

I am fascinated by the way God works. The Bible reveals His history of using the least likely for His incredible plan. Several years ago, God called me, the least likely, to lead a Bible study. Much like my dad, a rice/soybean farmer, God’s Law of the Farm has proven to be true. To receive the food, God’s Word, some men prefer a low pH of structure while others thrive in a more relaxed, higher pH environment. I have found that Bible Study Fellowship offers a sweet spot right in the middle for men to be fed in His Word and grow in their faith.

But what is the harvest? Jesus said it this way in Matthew 9:37, “Then he said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” God’s Word prepares men to live out a life of influence for a harvest as found in Zechariah 8:23, “’Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” Question, do people see Jesus in the way you live? God’s Word, our “Guidebook for Living,” teaches us how to live a life that draws people to Christ, the Harvest.

Isn’t it time you answered the call? Listen to what Jesus promised in John 10:10, “I have come that they (you) may have life, and have it to the full.”