No-Step Boogie

And he said, The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.  He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.  The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.  But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.  – Mark 4:26-29

Last night I was reading in MOTT about the Tower of Destruction and the difference between growing and building.  When you build a house, you have an idea of what you want.  You take it, perhaps, to an architect who creates a blueprint.  You hire a builder who then raises the structure according to the plan.  The blueprint tells the plumber where to run his lines, the electrician where to put switches and outlets.  It tells you which way the doors should swing.  Everything is laid out.  It’s a system – as Bob has been talking about recently.

By contrast, to grow something, we put a seed in the ground.  And we wait.  If it isn’t raining much – not a problem around here so far this year, we can water, but there’s not much else that depends on our planning or intervention.  We can rest.  We don’t really know how growth takes place.  We can certainly cut things down too soon, but if we are patient, the harvest will come regardless of our designs and maneuvers.  Or it will not. 

I suppose we could argue that there is a design built into the seed, in the DNA, that is similar to our blueprint, but a living thing does not develop solely on the basis of its genetic inheritance.  In fact there is reason to think that environmental stresses and stimuli can, in effect, throw switches that turn on or turn off certain characteristics present on the gene. 

Thus another difference in growth as opposed to building is that growth includes adaptation.  The nature of the harvest is dependent, of course, on the seed sown, but also on the conditions.  The same grapes grown in a period of hot, dry weather will have a different flavor than those in a wetter, cooler season.  The fertility of the soil and the minerals present or absent cause adjustments in development and maturation. 

God does have a plan for us, for each of us. 

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up [that is, "the perfecting of"] the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ … speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Ephesians 4:11-16).

In general, ultimately, we know where we are all headed.  But how that happens -- especially on an individual basis, the processes involved, the time it takes, the conditions that cause this growth, we do not know.  We can nurture and be watchful at times, just as we pull weeds from our garden and water during extended dry spells, but the end, the harvest to which God aims is something largely beyond our control.   

It is God Himself who watches, who touches here and stirs there, who send the right message and the right messenger at just the right moment, who frightens when we need to alerted, saddens when we need to weep, delights when we need to laugh, and soothes when we need to be reassured.  

My brother and sister barleycorn, it is not just the field for which our Lord cares, but each stalk where it stands.  In this we rest and trust. 

 

Our Father's World

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.  – Galatians 4:1-2

With regard to these verses commentaries focus on the distinction between Israel – the called of God, under the law and the called and chosen under the New Covenant in Christ.  I was immediately reminded of one of my top five most-quoted passages, Ephesians 4:11-16, and in particular verse 13 which asserts that God gives us leaders and teachers … until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.   We can understand the historic perspective, but we should also see the personal application.  Individually, we start out in Christ needing a lot of help, a lot of support, teaching, and discipline.  We are, in effect, “under the law” for a time until our ability to communicate with God develops and matures.  Even after we have grown in the faith, there are often times when we need others to come alongside to encourage or correct us.  Sometimes I need a rebuke or reproof as 2 Timothy 3:16 says. 

We see something else inherent in this passage, though.  We have been adopted by the Father who “is the owner of everything”, and, that, as Paul points out, makes us the “owners” of everything as well.  Man was created and commissioned to rule in this world.  Adam lost his position through sin, and so we all have suffered in our fallen state.  We have been rained on where we should have reigned.  In Christ, our enslavement and servitude to the elements and powers of this world come to an end. 

I don’t know about me.  I believe there are saints who have overcome and matured in this life to the point that they rule and reign in this life.  I may have to wait until the next one – which is all right.  I don’t mind being in school all my life.  It seems to me that too much authority and power is kind of dangerous both for myself and for those around me.  Nevertheless, I think we need to realize we are part of the hierarchy, part of the ruling family, whether we are responsible for running much of the show or not. 

We all have spheres of authority, influence, and control.  Like the servants who were entrusted the talents, it may be small or large.  We are obligated to care for that with which the Lord has entrusted us to His glory and in His honor.  My wife always considered the condition of her house, her car, her lawn, whatever, as a reflection on Christ.  She kept things neat and orderly, clean and in good repair because a) she’s German; and b) it’s all the Lord’s stuff.  I believe that she was right in that we owe it to God to do the best we can where we have been placed. 

I also think it is a mistake to be silent and passive concerning the issues of the day.  This is especially true when it comes to children and education, but we ought also to stand up to oppression in every area where we can make our voices heard.  This is our Father’s world.  It’s never going to be utopia, Disneyland, or heaven, but it’s His, and we should live, work, and speak with that in our minds.