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First the blade then the ear

In the confidence of this promise the farmer tills and sows.
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Part 2

God’s great covenant declares that “while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest … shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22. In the confidence of this promise the farmer tills and sows. In the spiritual sowing are to labour, trusting, “So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void.” Isaiah 55:11.

The germination of the seed represents the beginning of spiritual life, and the development of the plant is a beautiful figure of Christian growth. As in nature, so in grace; there can be no life without growth. As its growth is silent and imperceptible so is the development of the Christian life.

At every stage of our Christian walk, our life may be perfect, if there is a continual advancement. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. We shall become strong to bear responsibility, and our maturity will be in proportion to our privileges.

The plant grows by receiving that which God has provided. It sends its roots into the earth. It drinks in the sunshine, the dew, and the rain. It receives the life-giving properties from the air. So the Christian is to grow by co-operating with the divine agencies.

As the plant takes root in the soil, so we are to take root in Christ. As the plant receives the sunshine, the dew, and the rain, we are to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. The work is to be done “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6. By constantly relying upon Christ as our personal Saviour, we shall grow up into Him in all things who is our head.

The wheat develops “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” The object of the farmer in the sowing of the seed is the production of grain. So the divine Farmer looks for a harvest as the reward of His labor and sacrifice.

Christ is seeking to reproduce Himself in the hearts of men, and He does this through those who believe in Him. The object of the Christian life is fruit bearing—the reproduction of Christ’s character in the believer, that it may be reproduced in others.

If you have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, you are to help others. As you receive the Spirit of Christ—the Spirit of unselfish love and labor for others—you will grow and bring forth fruit. Your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love be made perfect. More and more you will reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely. See Galatians 5:22, 23

Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain.

Adapted from “Christ Object Lessons”