Growing The Seed

A seed must have life to grow. If one is to grow spiritually, he must know Jesus Christ as his Savior. If not, there is no life, for He is life (John 14:6).

The purpose of a planted seed is to grow to maturity. A seed that does not grow to maturity has very little use. It does not accomplish its created purpose, whether that be beauty, food, shade, protection, or healing. God has given every believer a purpose, that is, to grow and glorify Christ. In every stage of development, the follower of Christ can bring Him glory, because it is “God which worketh in you” (Phil. 2:13). Since it is God Who works, the age or stage of development is insignificant. God works and the seed responds. Remember that growth is a process. There is no instant maturity.

Growth is both seen and unseen. The seed breaks through the ground and is seen. Attitudes and actions demonstrate growth which will be visible. Just as leaves, fruit, bark, branches, and blossoms are seen as the result of the growth of a seed, so the fruit of the Spirit listed in Gal. 5:22-23, good works (Matt. 5:16), a willing obedience to the Word of God (John 14:15), and loving-kindness demonstrated to the world (John 15:17), are seen as results of spiritual growth. As the tender plant breaks through the surface, it becomes exposed to light.

Light is vital in its growth. To the Christian, there can be no substitute for light. The Bible is light. Christ Jesus is light. Jesus is revealed to us in His Word. The more one is exposed to Christ and His Word, the greater the opportunity for growth.

Much of what causes growth is unseen. What takes place under the ground helps determine what is above ground. It is known that the growth beneath the ground is equal to the growth above. This system supplies the power for growth. It absorbs water and nutrients from the soil. Without a strong root network, a plant of any kind will be weak and sickly, and it will show.

So, too, is there a need for a strong unseen system in the life of every believer. The part of man that seeks after God in the Scripture is unseen. It is there that the Holy Spirit takes the Word of God, that we have heard, read, studied and meditated upon, then applies it to the heart that it might nourish the soul and affect every part of life. This unseen part of man desires to know Christ and fellowship with Him (Phil. 3:10) in thought and prayer. It is in the unseen part in which character is developed and faithfulness is nurtured.

Pastors, churches, and other ministries may provide the material needed for growth, but they cannot make one grow. It is obedience to God’s Word and yielding to the Holy Spirit that assimilates the materials for spiritual growth. Only through yielded obedience can one be “rooted and grounded” in the faith as Paul admonishes. The true Christian is to grow in grace, faith, and knowledge if he is to be like the tree of Psalm 1:3, “planted by the rivers of water,” bringing forth fruit in season, having unwithered leaves, and prospering in all that it does.

Jack Long