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Seed Within
Jeanne Stewart, Oklahoma Walking into a
grade school classroom during a spring science class, you just may see little
cups of dirt with long stringy vines curling upward, reaching toward the
light. Upon closer examination, you might even see a shriveling seed dying on
the end of these tender bean vines. The green bean seed seems to be used as
every child’s starting point in observing growth patterns of plants. Their
science project has them scrutinizing each part of the seed’s development
from beginning to fruit bearing. Time will show how many of these children
become involved in gardening or farming from this first experience in growing
green bean seeds. Within Christ’s
church many have heard it prophesied that each generation increases in
understanding of spiritual accomplishments over the previous generation. Upon
closer look, it might even be said that people are actually the fruit of seeds that others mentored
into their lives by their actions and words. We live and work in a world
where people’s lives are custom-made each day as one generation is not made perfect
without the other. Observing some of the seeds planted within, we grow sturdy
to supply the starting point of faith and obedience into the next generation.
In Hebrews 11:40 God had us in mind
and had something better and greater in view for us, so that the heroes and heroines of faith should
not come to perfection apart from us before
we could join them. God Planted
A Garden ~ In Genesis
chapter one, on the third day, God spoke to the land, “… sprout with vegetation – every sort of seed-bearing plant and
trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds
of plants and trees from which they came.” In chapter two of Genesis we
read that the Lord God planted a garden in Created in the
image of God in the garden, male and female enjoyed the image of God, the
intimacy of God and unbroken fellowship with God. Within God’s garden He would walk with His created children and
there was nothing that was not perfect. God was the Holiness of His garden,
making it possible for Adam and Eve to walk and talk with Him in a covenant
relationship. A perfect place, a comfortable setting, a faultless seed, and a
completeness of the holy were all within the garden. So how did deception
enter? Deception came from the self-centered disobedience of a thought that
questioned God’s warning of death. Then the once-perfect man began the
process of sin, withering the seed
within. Man became conscious of the shame of the sin of disobedience. God
gave man a choice to choose a good life, honoring Him as Creator, or
dishonoring His holiness and as a result bringing a curse of death from
generation to generation. The first man’s decision in disobedience placed him
outside the perfect place of peace, absent from God’s ideal communion. The
seed of sin grew then outside the garden and multiplied evil on
the earth. Noah
Planted People into the Next Generation ~ The story found
in chapter six of Genesis gives an account somewhat opposite of the ideal
garden. Violence had multiplied within the midst of earth’s imperfect
generations of people. The only blameless person living on earth at the time, ‘… perfect in his generations,’ was a
righteous man named Noah who made the decision to honor his Creator. He found
favor with God because he made the right choice to walk in close fellowship with God in the midst of all the
evil on earth. We see now a much harder place to walk with God in
obedience than within the peaceful garden. God observed the wicked seed within evil man and decided to
destroy all living creatures by flooding the complete earth with water. This
washed away all life except Noah and his family who were saved within the
floating ark in the midst of the water. Through Noah’s three sons, God brings
forth the next generation of people from Noah’s seed within. Pairing the animals, God led male and female to
Noah, and their seed within
continued again after the flood. In verse seventeen of chapter six God tells
us, ‘… everything that is on the earth
shall die.’ Notice it speaks of “on” the earth, not within. There
was still good within the seed in the earth that had not yet come
forth. God chose Noah to keep the good seed alive to the next generation
because as verse 9 declares, ‘… he was
perfect in his generations.’ An important part of the
story of Noah was the lengthy time it took to prepare the ark before the
flood actually came about. During this time Noah tried to persuade the people
around him everyday about the judgment of God that was coming and called them
to repent and be saved from the flood. Hearing the warnings of God’s
preacher, however, was unprofitable to these disobedient people because of
their unbelief. Just like in the garden, God’s warning of death failed to
gain the reverence of His word, for
it was, “… not being mixed with faith in
those who heard it.” (Hebrews 4:2) On Earth as
it is In Heaven ~ Isaiah chapter fifty five
gives us a marvelous word picture of Christ Jesus, the spoken Word, coming
from heaven to earth to make a way back to the Holy Communion with God and
His creation. ”The rain and snow come
down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause
the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It
is the same with My Word. I send it out and it always produces fruit. It will
accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. You
will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song and
the trees of the field will clap their hands! Where once there were thorns,
cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These
events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting
sign of His power and love.” It is certain
that God, after His work, entered into rest on the seventh day. It is also
certain that Christ, when He finished the work of our redemption, entered His
rest in heaven at the right hand of God. We as believers will enter our rest
after the end time harvest of souls. Our work continues as we sow the seeds
of His Word into good ground. Hebrews chapter four, beginning with verse
nine, declares, “… so there is a
special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered
into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating
the world.” Good seeds are sown by
the obedient children of God, whereas bad seeds or ‘tares’, as the word calls them in Matthew 13:38, are sown by the
disobedient. There will be a separation of the wicked from among the just. So
we must keep in mind that it is God who has supplied the good seed within to sow. Let us make every
effort to be about the Kingdom business of this end-time harvest of souls, as
we sow only the truth of His Word, our precious seed within. Ending Prayer Thought ~ Father God, You walked in the garden and Your Son Jesus
walked on the earth creating
footprints of glory that will never be erased. You created seeds of life that
are within us to grow on into each generation until You call us home to rest with
You. We pray that we speak forth Your Words, the precious seed within; mixed with faith, to
those lives around us we touch each day. May we daily die to self-centered
disobedience that keeps us from reaching upward toward Your Light of Glory.
In the name above all names, the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen ~ |
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