JOHN DEERE WAS BORN IN 1804 AND IN THE 1830’S
HE TRAVELED WEST TO SEEK WORK AND FORTUNE. A BLACKSMITH BY TRADE, HE
DISCOVERED THE PLOWS BEING USED DID NOT BREAK UP THE HARDENED
WESTERN SOIL SO HE SET OUT TO STUDY AND REMEDY THE PROBLEM. USING SCRAP STEEL, HE
FASHIONED A PLOW BLADE THAT TUNED A CLEAN FURROW, WITHOUT
CLUMPING. HE KNEW HIS
INVENTION WAS GOOD AND HE BEGAN MAKING THE PLOWS, WITHOUT ORDERS,
FROM WHATEVER STEEL HE COULD FIND. HE TOOK HIS PLOWS FROM FARM
TO FARM, DEMONSTRATING AND SELLING THE IMPLEMENTS. IN A BOLD MOVE, HE ORDERED
STEEL FROM ENGLAND, PAYING HIGH COSTS TO HAVE IT
SHIPPED UP THE MISSISSIPPI. HIS BUSINESS CONTINUED TO
GROW AND HE OPENED A FACTORY IN ILLINOIS, WHERE HE CONTINUED TO
IMPROVE HIS DESIGNS TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF FARMERS. HE WAS OFTEN OVERHEARD
SAYING, “I WILL NEVER PUT MY NAME ON A PLOW THAT DOES NOT HAVE IN IT
THE BEST THAT IS IN ME.”
JOHN DEERE KNEW THE PRINCIPLES OF
PLOWING. GOD IS IN THE
PLOWING BUSINESS TOO, AND HAS BEEN TEACHING US THE PRINCIPLES FOR
THOUSANDS OF YEARS. TO
PLOW MEANS TO TURN OVER, BREAK UP, CUT INTO OR TO OPEN. THE BIBLE TALKS OFTEN OF
DONKEYS AND OXEN WHEN IT REFERS TO PLOWING BUT IT IS SPECIFIC WHEN
IT SAYS IN DEUTERONOMY 22:10 “DO NOT
PLOW WITH AN OX AND A DONKEY YOKED TOGETHER.” THE TWO ANIMALS ARE
DIFFERENT SIZES AND MOVE AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. PLOWING TAKES FOCUS AND
EFFORT AND BEING UNEQUALLY YOKED IS UNPRODUCTIVE. THE PURPOSE OF PLOWING IS TO
PREPARE THE SOIL FOR THE SEED.
PLANTING, GROWING AND REAPING A HARVEST CAN ONLY COME AFTER
THE GROUND HAS BEEN PLOWED AND PROPERLY PREPARED. FROM A SPIRITUAL VIEW,
PEOPLE DO NOT PLOW THEIR HARDENED HEARTS FOR FEAR OF WHAT WILL TURN
UP, SUCH AS UNFORGIVENESS, ANGER OR GREED. THESE THINGS NEED TO BE
“PLOWED” SO THAT OUR SOIL (HEART) CAN BE PREPARED TO RECEIVE THE
WORD OF GOD (SEED) ALLOWING IT TO FLOURISH WITHIN US (HARVEST) AND
REACH OUT TO OTHERS.
SO HOW DO WE PLOW? THE BIBLE SAYS IN HOSEA 10:11 “…JUDAH SHALL PLOW; JACOB SHALL
BREAK HIS CLODS.”
THE MEANING OF “JUDAH” IS “PRAISE,” SO PRAISE PLOWS; IT OPENS
OUR HEARTS, AND PREPARES US TO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD. I CORINTHIANS 9:10 SAYS, “…THE PLOWMAN PLOWS
AND THE THRESHER THRESHES, THEY OUGHT TO DO SO IN THE HOPE OF SHARING IN THE
HARVEST.” WE ARE
TO PARTAKE IN HOPE, IN EXPECTATION. HERE HOPE IS THE CHORD THAT
CONNECTS US TO AN EXPECTED END; IT IS DESIRE WITH EXPECTATION OF
ATTAINMENT.
THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE, WE SEE MEN IN
SITUATIONS, CREATING OBSTACLES OF THE PLOW. FOR ABRAHAM, HIS PROMISED
LAND HAD CANAANITES; FOR CALEB, HIS MOUNTAIN HAD ANAKITES ON IT,
ADAM’S GARDEN HAD A SERPENT IN IT. BUT FOR EVERY ONE OF OUR
SITUATIONS, GOD HAS A SOLUTION. FIRST, WE MUST GET AN
ATTITUDE. WE MUST GET
TO A PLACE WHERE WE JUST CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE. THEN WE MUST ACTIVATE. WE MUST USE WHAT WE HAVE TO
OVERCOME OUR OBSTACLES AND STOP USING EXCUSES. IN JUDGES 3:31, IT SAYS, “...SHAMGAR THE SON
OF ANATH, KILLED SIX HUNDRED MEN OF THE PHILISTINES WITH AN OX
GOAD.” SHAMGAR
WAS A FARMER, NOT A WARRIOR, BUT HE FOUGHT ANYWAY. HE USED WHAT HE HAD, AN OX
GOAD, A TOOL FOR DRIVING OXEN.
WHAT YOU WORK WITH IS WHAT YOU WIN WITH. FOR MOSES, IT WAS HIS ROD,
FOR SAMSON IT WAS A JAWBONE, FOR DAVID IT WAS HIS SLING. NO MORE EXCUSES, YOU HAVE
EVERY TOOL YOU NEED TO WIN!
