The Kingdom Seed.....

Paul Mueller said:

“The Kingdom of God has been planted as a seed in the fertile garden of the hearts of His people. And His Kingdom has been growing in the hearts of His people ever since. His Kingdom began in His faithful sons as a word or seed that sprouts in the ground. The Kingdom seed is the very life of Christ that was planted within us. As a seed in the natural soil sprouts or explodes by its inherent life, so the seed of the Christ within us has burst forth with His life to manifest the fruit of the Kingdom of God. The seed is Christ, the Word of God and the word of His Kingdom. When we receive that seed/word, and it grows within us, the Kingdom of God will grow, and indeed has grown, to become the greatest tree on earth so that the birds of the air will find lodging in it. That seed/word within us has sprouted, bursting forth by the Life of Christ to manifest first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear, until its abundant fruit shall fill the whole earth.

Hmmmm....speaking of seeds....Keith recently planted grass seed. There were lots of bare spots all over the front yard. The main suspects....and high on Keith's most wanted list are a group of little varmints known as voles.

They are actually cute little critters...if they were not so destructive. They have become “squatters” on our property and have been busy burrowing and digging for the past couple of years now....much to the chagrin and utter annoyance of Keith. They even seem to know where our yard ends and the neighbors' yards begin because they seem to quit tunneling when they reach the boundaries of our property. Keith has spooned some kind of poison into their holes....and he has set traps...trying to entice them with peanut butter, molasses and oats. They are not interested....preferring the bulbs we planted a year or so ago

Anyway....to repair some of the damage, Keith used some kind of grass seed concoction that contains grass seeds mixed with some kind of....stuff....that forms almost a “liquid cardboard.” The point is to protect the grass seed from drying out....from blowing away....from becoming a snack for a robin who happens by. It needs watered every day...several times a day because the liquid cardboard stuff cannot completely dry out.

When I watered it today, I noticed that the grass was sprouting up through. Just a few whispy blades but the seeds have sprouted. They are growing.

So what does this have to do with the Paul Mueller quote? Well, there is the reference to a seed....a seed planted....a seed bursting forth. In the case of the seeds in the front yard, they will become full grown blades of grass....because they are GRASS seeds. However, the seeds planted in our hearts, are Kingdom seeds....and from them....will burst forth the Kingdom!!!!

Paul goes on to say:

So also does the word/seed of Christ and His Kingdom grow within us, and of itself, to bring forth a Kingdom plant identical with the original seed. We cannot see its growth, but it is growing nevertheless. As long as we are feeding on Christ, nothing can stop the growth of the Kingdom seed within us. By virtue of the nature and life of the original seed planted within us, Christ must grow up within us to come forth with the same Life that He is. That is the law of natural seed-life! But the original seed grows within us by the power of the greater law and life of Christ and the Kingdom of God.

Yep...sometimes we cannot see much Kingdom growth evidenced in our lives....but rest assured that the seed is growing....and it will continue to grow until it transforms us into the exact image and likeness of Christ.

Yes, I know that does often seem like a real stretch. The seed of the kingdom dwells within me? Are you sure??

Paul goes on to say:

So it is that the Lord sows the word of His Kingdom into the hearts of His elect, enabling them to bring forth Kingdom fruit. The seed-word of His Kingdom sown in our hearts will bring forth the fruit of transformed lives.

And so slowly but surely

….....he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.