Monday, October 28, 2013

Germinate: To Come Into Being


Now the parable is this: 
The seed is the word of God. 
(Luke 8:11 ESV)



I love how God's Word is full of metaphors, symbols and object lessons. One of the most common themes of the Scriptures is the idea of germination; the ability of God to bring into being that which did not exist. After He created the earth and all its inhabitants, He breathed life into a man made of soil. He formed a woman out of this same man. And then He invited them to "be fruitful and multiply." When they failed to believe God's goodness, He sent them out of the garden, yet the ability to bear children and to cultivate plants remained part of their lives. 

And in the midst of the curses, God promised a seed, an off shoot who would defeat the serpent. The promise perennially appeared in the lives of Abraham, Issac and Jacob, as God expanded their understanding that the seed would come from their lineage. And the root of Jesse, one of the household of David would come to bring light and salvation to all nations. 

One little seed gave His life to multiply grace across the world, germinated by the Holy Spirit in our hearts.


In 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time, Pam Farrel harvests spiritual object lessons from her every day life:

Quiet times are a great time for object lessons. Howard Hendricks in his book Living by the Book points out that everyday items can be used as bridges of application. When Jesus taught a parable--consider this fig tree . . . a man was sowing a seed . . . a woman lost a coin--he was using mundane objects to capture our imaginations and communicate great truths.

In the simple, God's wisdom can be profound. Ask God to use the everyday to connect you to his heart. Every day.

©Pam Farrel from 30 Ways to Wake Up Your Quiet Time (IVP). For more devotional books by Pam www.Love-wise.com



What seed of truth has God been 
establishing in your heart this year?


To read more posts in the 31 Days of Quiet Series click here.

Linking up with the Soli Deo Gloria Party.



8 comments:

  1. Finding God in everyday things ... is a cool idea.

    Fondly,
    Glenda

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    1. Glenda- Thanks for stopping by! Yes...seeking and finding God is the joy of life!

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  2. Beautiful Kel. I love how God so often uses nature to teach us lessons, if we'll but have eyes to see......like seeds and wind and trees and butterflies. He has spoken to me time and time again as I walk through the woods, ready to receive His gifts. I so apprciate this post.
    love
    lynni

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    1. Lynni- I love how God gives us a symbol or picture from nature to remind us of His love and character...and they can remind us to pray for one another...whenever I see a butterfly, I think of you and thank God for you...

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    2. OH thank,s, Kel! ANd you've sent me butterflies, too, when I have needed them the most. I love you!
      Lynni

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  3. Hmmmmmmm. what seed? the seed of Sabbath rest, making/taking a quiet time to be alone and look. Sometimes I get 5 minutes (most times these days) but my joy at the tiniest God things seems to be increasing. I watch the maple 'whirly birds' blowing thru the air the other day and just smiled. One of God's more interesting creations. Kind of like the dandelion seed....
    I like the line that says, 'in the simple God's wisdom can be profound.'
    thanks for sharing, friend.

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    1. Jody- Thanks for coming by...I appreciate you sharing the seed of Sabbath rest...I long for just such a rest and see a more intentional time of rest coming in the near future...a time to plant and a time to reap...I want to take more time to sit and watch...to look for the evidences of grace...to extend grace to myself and others more often...it is the simple things that are the most profound! Blessings on you, friend!

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  4. God speaks the loudest to me in the tiniest of things! I am really loving this series Kel, rich ideas for quiet time!
    Hugs,,
    Kelly

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