Bountiful Harvest

Last night a friend and I sat and talked about how much we love God’s word. We can read a chapter, or a few verses and God touches our hearts with His words and our lives are changed.

The Word of God is incorruptible seed. It brings a harvest of God’s goodness into our lives.

 You have been given a new birth. It was from a seed that cannot die. This new life is from the Word of God which lives forever. ” I Peter 1:23 NLV

I heard tell, truth or myth I do not know, that seeds were discovered in the tombs of the pyramids and when they were planted, they grew. Now, that’s a seed that didn’t die.

Farmers and home gardeners know that to have a successful garden you protect the seed. Many home gardeners have gone to starting seedlings inside so that the plants grow strong before they face the elements. Farmers aren’t afforded that opportunity but they do research which seeds produce the best yield and are well suited for their climate and soil.

Jesus was using these principles when he spoke to his followers about seed.

” Now listen to the meaning of the story about the farmer: 19 The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts. 20 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it right away. 21 But they don’t have deep roots, and they don’t last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.

22 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. 23 The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was planted.” Matthew 13:18-23 CEV

Although the seeds of God’s word may lie dormant for a while they will produce a crop. When watered by prayer, tended by the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the weeds of worry and doubt removed we will gather a harvest.

The first crop that is produced is salvation and then forgiveness, peace, love, joy, faith and other fruits grow.

Our heart is the soil, God’s word is the seed. Happy Harvest.

New Growth

One of the first Science experiments I remember as a kid was taking dry pinto beans, wrapping them in a moist paper towel, placing that in a dish and setting it on the kitchen cupboard.

Each day I added a little water to the paper towel and in a few days the seed began to split and the tip of a tiny root began to appear. After a few more days the root got longer and the seed pod split even more.

I was growing beans!

As the root got longer, a shoot started growing from the other end. It didn’t take long for leaves to begin to form and the plant was taking shape. I was a successful farmer. The seed was doing exactly what God designed it to do. It was producing – seems I read those words in the first chapter of Genesis. From the beginning, this is what seeds did.

“The earth produced plant life: plants yielding seeds, each according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit with seeds inside it, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was.” Genesis 1;12 CEB

As I was thinking about this experiment, I was reminded of the verses I wrote about the other day, you know, the ones about understanding and growing in the fullness of God. Some will say, like I used to, “I know that I will have that fullness once I get to heaven. We all will.” But the Scripture tells us that we are to grow into that fullness here, while we’re still on earth.

I was trying to figure out how the two teachings tied together when I remembered these verses from the Bible.

“As you set yourselves apart by your obedience to the truth so that you might have genuine affection for your fellow believers, love each other deeply and earnestly. 23 Do this because you have been given new birth—not from the type of seed that decays but from seed that doesn’t. This seed is God’s life-giving and enduring word.” I Peter 1:22-23 CEB

Our new life in Christ is a result of the seed of God’s word. Planted in our hearts, God’s word produces eternal life from a seed that will not decay. The pinto bean shriveled and died as the bean sprout got larger but the seed of God’s word won’t decay or die, it continues to feed our new life so that we can grow into the fullness of God.

Amazing!

“Then Jesus said, “This is what God’s kingdom is like. It’s as though someone scatters seed on the ground, 27 then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn’t know how. 28 The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. 29 Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it’s harvesttime.” Mark 4:26-29 CEB

God’s character, His love, grow in our lives like that seed of grain grows in the ground. It grows to full maturity. Just look at what the seed that God plants produces.

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this.” Galatians 5:22-23 CEB

Maybe we all need to start some bean seeds on the kitchen counter just to remind ourselves that God’s word is producing new fruit in our lives!