09/13/2017
God never leads us by the ear into salvation. He never forces us to acknowledge Him against our will, or badgers us until we finally give in. No, a tiny seed is planted within us and it becomes our responsibility to tend and grow it, or let it lie dormant and eventually whither away.
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.”
1 Corinthians 3:6-9 ESV
The seed of faith is given us and if we are receptive to it then we will plant it and seek water for its germination, and when we do then God will bring the rain we seek. However, until we desire Him, His seed will not grow or flourish... it will be as if it were sown upon a stone. Listen to this parable and treat your seed of faith accordingly.
“"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."”
Luke 8:5-8 ESV
What occurred with the seed in this parable did so because of man... not God. If we plant our seed of faith poorly, or not at all, it will not grow to maturity. This isn't because God destroyed it, but by the true nature of the seed itself. This is our expectation in the nature of faith; by God's law. So as we begin to understand that we contain the seed of faith it becomes paramount that we select what we do with it carefully.
When God was speaking to Israel in the Old Testament He spoke these words to them:
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Hosea 10:12 ESV
How we sow, and the nature of the seeds we sow are all important. The seeds of faith have already been given us and allow us to understand that God and His Son Jesus Christ are all important in our lives. Without this understanding we are doomed to go through life alone and tossed by the nature of the world. The discord, chaos, and evil that exists will have its way with us and then we will die. If however we plant our seeds of faith and then abandon them, then the punishment will be as God wishes because we took what was His and then squandered or killed it.
“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.”
2 Peter 2:20-21 ESV
If we plant carefully, then in the spring our gardens and fields will be beautiful and green. The rains come and everything grows, but after the harvest the grapevine drops its leaves and goes dormant and the wheat fields become brown. However, this isn't a time for mourning. This is the natural order of things. The fruit has been gathered by the master into His storehouse. It is a time of celebration and plenty in the Kingdom. God gathers us to Himself and prepares His seed for future generations; the coming years.
So we plant our faith carefully and Become laden with fruit, our boughs bending under the load and our tops swaying in the wind; heavy with grain. All of this from the tiny seed God has given and the care we have taken in its planting and cultivation. Then as we approach harvest we must be careful to instruct our children and loved ones in the nature of the seed they contain, and the responsibility they have in this... the springtime of their lives.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the seed of faith you entrusted me with. Thank you for the instruction of my spiritual father's and the Holy Spirit's guidance in how best to plant and tend it. Holy Father, I now offer you the bounty of the harvest and the sweetness of the honey that flows from it. Gather me to you Lord and call me child, friend, heir and joint heir in Jesus Christ. Help me in my days to prepare my children and grandchildren. Keep your hand upon me as I give them instruction in how to plant and cultivate their seeds of faith. Holy Spirit come to each of them and guide them through life and towards their harvest. Jesus watch over them, as you have me, and in your Gospel Word let them find you in your fullness. Love them as you have loved me. Cover their sins as you have mine. Lead them before the Father as you will one day lead me, and allow me to embrace them in the day of their glory. Praised be your name Father. Praised be your Son Jesus Christ. I give you all the praise and glory for the tiny seed of faith you placed in my hand and the endless waves of fruit and grain that will flow from it... to you.
Rich Forbes