A wonder of God’s creation is the way in which plants, flowers, grass and trees reproduce themselves. The seeds that are formed sometimes can push the tenderest blade of new life through the hardest soil. No matter how tiny, the seed of a tree has within itself the capability of producing roots, the tree trunk, branches and leaves. It contains cells with enough food to nourish the new growth until roots and leaves develop.
There are seeds that retain life for 20 years or more under extreme desert heat, and with God-given “time clocks” they do not sprout until the right conditions are present. Often this will be through a heavy cloudburst or a spring flood which removes the chemical coating of the seed that has preserved it so long. Now as the coating dissolves, the seed splits open, root and shoot are produced and a new plant begins to grow. One desert plant produces self-planting seeds with spiral tails. The spirals are sensitive to the slightest moisture in the air. They respond to the moisture by coiling and uncoiling in such a way that they dig themselves into the dry, sandy soil. When rain finally comes, they are self-planted and ready to take root.
It is easy to understand how seeds of various kinds are planted by people, but many are scattered far and wide by wind, water, birds, animals and insects. For instance, one Russian thistle may have 100,000 seeds on it, all of which are carried by the wind to new locations, even across mountains and oceans! Then, too, many seeds float down rivers and across oceans to distant shores and take root there. The coconut is an example of this.
The tasty fruits of trees and bushes, eaten by birds and animals, contain seeds or pits. These creatures may carry fruit a considerable distance before eating them and discarding the seeds or pits, where they often will take root and start new plants. What a wonderful provision of the Creator to use animals and birds to take part in providing a future food supply for their kind in places all over the world.
The Bible tells of one who sowed seed in a large area. Some never took root, others grew awhile and then died, but some fell on good ground and brought forth much fruit. In Matthew chapter 13 the Lord Himself explained about this. The seeds are examples of God’s Word being sown throughout the world. Some people paid no attention to it, and it did not take root with them. Others enjoyed it for a little while but did not really accept it in their hearts, so there was no new life there either. But the happy ones were those who received and believed the Word and received the new, eternal life, which is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Which one of these are you?
MAY 14, 1995
ML-05/14/1995