“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
John 12:24 (NIV)
Jesus talked about seeds more than once. He talked about the seed that falls on thorny, rocky or shallow ground, verses the good soil. He talked about how one wheat kernel, planted alone in good ground, bears a plentiful harvest. He also talked about the transformation of a tiny mustard seed into a huge fruit bearing tree. For as often as Jesus talked about seeds or gardening, His common message in every parable is growth.
Since many of His parable lessons compare the kingdom of heaven to the growth that begins with a tiny seed, we can conclude that one signature attribute of God is in taking the small, ordinary or insignificant, and bringing about a growth that transforms into the extraordinary and miraculous.
Every living thing grows physically, but spiritual growth happens through the Holy Spirit, who works within us. We were all meant to keep growing spiritually, for as long as we live. God planted a seed of faith in each of us, with the intent to walk closely beside us, that our lives will glorify Him. He thoroughly believes in each person He created, since He foresees all that they were meant to be.
No one is insignificant to God or to His purpose, but we occasionally need reminding that His greatest work is not in what He does for us, but what He does through us.
Jesus chose twelve ordinary and uneducated men, according to the world’s view, but after being filled with His Spirit on Pentecost, they all became extraordinary men of faith and courage. They changed the world, by doing and being all that the Spirit of Jesus empowered them to be.
The poor widow used the last of her flour and oil to bake bread for the prophet, Elisha, which represents giving all of our emptiness to God so that He can refill us. It was in that moment that her empty jars were miraculously refilled, each day, according to her need.
God has a history of using the most insignificant people and things, to reveal His power and glory. Jesus fed 5,000 people with one single serving of an ordinary boy’s lunch.
He used a simple, harp playing, unarmed shepherd boy, to bring down the giant who bullied the entire armies of Israel. God is known for turning ordinary and small things into super extraordinary things, through spiritual growth. We are no different than any of those people, and God is eager to manifest that same kind of growth in our lives.
When Moses led God’s people out of slavery, the path led them to the sea, and as they stopped, Pharaoh’s army was pursuing them. Scholars say that there was a different and shorter route to the promised land, on dry ground, avoiding the sea all together. The Lord deliberately led His people by that longer route, planning to take them through the sea. By miraculously parting the waters, God revealed His might and His great love for them.
Sometimes spiritual growth comes when we are led down the more difficult path, instead of the easier one. God leads us according to what He intends for us to learn, to grow and bear fruit during our journey. He wants to take us through our Red Sea to reveal more of His love for us.
We can learn so much about God’s nature and His purpose for believers, through what He has shown us in biblical history. It’s in the nature of God to take the small or insignificant persons or things, and anoint them with His power, to raise them up to a place where He will accomplish the impossible through them.
The power of God is perfected in us, through our weaknesses, rather than through our strengths. He leads us to places we’ve never been before, and puts us in situations that make us feel inadequate and unsure of ourselves. In these situations, God is watering the seeds of our faith, which causes our spiritual growth.
When God is watering our seed of faith, we may feel like that wheat kernel Jesus spoke about. At times, it feels like we are struggling to stay alive, yet God is working through us, for our good, taking us to our next stage of growth, where we sprout and bear fruit.
Spiritual growth removes the barriers that hinder us. God teaches us to trust that He is enough, and He is glorified in breaking through all our barriers. He causes walls to crumble and fall, and creates a dry path through the sea in front of us. The mustard seed represents what God can and will do through our growth, when we trust in Him. We belong to a loving Father in heaven who wants to do the impossible through us.
On that note, Paul tells us that we are all predestined to be transformed into the image of His son, Jesus. (Romans 8:29)
Lord, we surrender ourselves to you. Please unleash your divine power in us, and bring the growth which transforms us from a seed to a tree, in your name and for your glory. Amen
