My latest harvest has been plums, juicy, sweet plums! The flesh of the fruit peels right off, leaving only the small pit which inside contains an even smaller seed.
I start out slow and taper off.
I’ve been listening to a song in church for quite a while and though I understood the words and their meaning, it didn’t hit me until yesterday how intertwined we are with nature.
The lyrics to the song I am thinking of goes as follows:
“Unless a grain of wheat shall fall upon the ground and die, it remains but a single grain with no life.” (Bernadette Farrell) It’s a paraphrase of John 12:24.
Until now, I’ve considered that I must die to self in order to live. That’s how I’ve viewed those words.
Now I realize that it’s saying much more. Now I get it!
God has provided each of us with a seed of Him. Unless we nourish that seed by dying to self, we can’t be fruitful to others. We are like a gong in the night if we only seek life only for ourselves. But if we give our lives for others, that one grain grows and produces an entire head of wheat!
I’ve always enjoyed service to others in whatever fashion it comes. And I know that sowing those seeds of joy help others understand the greatness of our Lord. But it never occurred to me that I have no life unless I engage in service, that I cannot be truly Christian until I spread the love of God to others and they in turn love Him. As a single grain, I can bear great fruit because in turn they bear great fruit and it continues to multiply.
Fruit trees are an even greater example. One little seed gives birth to a seedling, then sapling, then tree. If nurtured, that tree will produce for years! It doesn’t have to be the “one and done” concept. If we nurture our lives with the Truth of the Lord, we can produce for many years!
So don’t hide in your pit! Open up, let the seed be revealed and plant it in rich soil. Water with prayer and let it grow!
This picture is from a two-in-one plum tree I have in my yard. Yes! It’s grafted so there are two types of plums on one tree. It’s sweet!
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