One who is unacquainted with agricultural pursuits, upon hearing the exhortation of both Jeremiah and Hosea, "Break up your fallow ground,"Jer. 4:3 and Hos. 10:12; might wonder how it applies to him. As used by the two Hebrew prophets, the cogent directive was intended to arouse their hearers and cause them to stir themselves from the unproductive inertia of their thinking and their empty way of life.
Anyone considering this command for further fruitfulness might ask himself where in his thought and mode of living there is untilled or insufficiently tilled ground, dilatory or ineffective thinking. Is he doing less, perhaps, than he is capable of doing? Praying with willingness and expectancy to see how he needs to be activated, the seeker will undoubtedly find some thought where evasion of responsibility can be replaced by forthright action.
Many who have been earnest adherents of Christian Science for one or more growing seasons have delayed in applying for membership in The Mother Church or in a branch church. In cases where the student is ready for membership, as evidenced by his regular attendance at services and meetings and his reliance upon the teachings of Christian Science, there is fallow ground to be prepared, sown, and redeemed to bear fruit abundantly. One of the inevitable components of true gratitude for the benefits that are gained in the study and application of Christian Science is a growing impulsion to participate individually in the rewarding joint accomplishment of church work made available through church membership.
