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I used to love to put out a garden. When I was younger my father and grandfathers would let me help some as they would prepare the ground and lay off the rows. Before I was old enough to run the tiller I was allowed to help plant the seeds.
I have some old 8mm film of one garden we had when I was only 5 or 6 years old. The corn stood tall and the beans and other plants looked so healthy.
As a curious young boy I wondered how all of that seed stuff really worked. I can see the picture of the corn, beans or radish on the outside of the package. But the seeds rarely looked as appetizing as the picture. How does one little seed end up being such a large, productive plant?
Since that time I’ve had classes that helped me to understand the science behind seed sprouting. But I still marvel at the wisdom of God’s engineering.
These seeds can lie dormant for years and still be planted for a good crop. Some seed were even sprouted after having been found in an Egyptian burial ground.
And these seeds know what they are going to be. In Genesis 1:11-12 when God created the third day, He spoke of grass, herbs and fruit trees that would have seeds in order to reproduce themselves. This has been God’s plan all along.
Today we take for granted the marvelous properties contained in a small seed. We plant them, fertilize and water them, keep the weeds out and look forward to the harvest. But it is God’s plan within the seed that actually does the growing.
Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God being like a seed in a parable found in Mark 4:26-29.
And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
There are three different types of growth illustrated here. The first is a gradual growth. Unlike Jack and the beanstalk, seeds don’t grow to maturity overnight. Neither do new Christians. It takes time for the word of God to take root and to enable growth from a new Christian to a mature one.
The second is an orderly growth. The crop began as a seed, progressed to sprout a blade, then a head and then the full grain on the head. Most gardeners and farmers realize that the crop is vulnerable in these early stages. They prepare the soil to give the seed the best possible start. They also provide nourishment as well as weed protection to make sure that the seed is nourished without competition. They will irrigate to provide water if the rains do not come. Constant attention must be given during the growth stages to ensure that the harvest will be good.
The third is a God given growth. Speaking along these lines, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”
We are to do our part in spreading the kingdom of God. That includes planting the seed, the word of God, in the hearts of others. Also it includes providing nourishment to those seeds. But in the end, it is the power through God that provides the increase or the harvest.
Paul in Romans 1:16-17 spoke of the word of God by saying, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.”
As much as I enjoyed the process of putting out a garden, what I really enjoyed was the harvest. Some crops were ready to gather in a short time while others took longer. Patience was required.
James 5:7-8 says, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
On Our Daily Walk today, may we understand that no harvest can be made until the seeds are planted, nourished and watered. May we set about today to plant the word of God in the heart of someone we know.
Our thought for the day: “The church only grows as the members grow.”
May God bless you on your daily walk.
© Our Daily Walk, Mike Baker, 2007. Permission is granted to copy these articles provided they are not sold and the author's name and copyright are included.
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