Issue 831 – Tall Corn – August 20, 2022
Our daughter-in-law Amy has been growing a small select variety of vegetables in the backyard this summer. It has been fascinating to watch the corn growing.
Every day the corn gets visibly taller. I wondered how tall corn could grow, so I had to look it up. While typical “tall corn” runs about 8 feet, the world’s record corn reached 45 feet in height. That is nearly as tall as a four-story building.
Yesterday I watched a hummingbird rest briefly on the top of the plant. I was surprised, not by the hummingbird, as we see them occasionally, but by its choice of perch.
The hummingbird on the corn reminded me of a familiar passage of Scripture.
[Jesus] said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” Luke 13:18-21
Of course, the mustard seed analogy was perfectly clear to the original audience. They were an agrarian society and familiar with the crops of the day. Today most of us don’t grow up watching mustard planted, and many have never baked anything, so they have never seen yeast at work.
Indeed, the kingdom has grown exponentially here on earth since the day of Jesus. It has grown from very few followers at the start, to thousands joining the church a day after Pentecost, to over 2.5 billion identifying as believers today. That doesn’t include all the people in the interim who were born and did as believers.
We could question how many of the 2.5 billion are true believers, but even if most are not, the church has exceeded what anyone could have conceived in Jesus’ day.
Sometimes we feel as if the church is stagnant or perhaps even losing the battle. We wonder where the harvest is or how the church could possibly grow against the culture of the day.
Yet, daily, member by member, it continues to grow even if we do not see it personally.
When we get discouraged, we would be wise to remember the words of Christ. “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
Christ has defeated sin and death. The process continues until all the Lord has called to be His own are saved, so the battles continue. The victory is already assured.
Hold fast, my friend. Like a grain of yeast, or a mustard seed, or a kernel of corn, the kingdom is growing soul by soul, moment and day by day. Nothing in all of creation can stop it.
Through Christ, we have victory. Rejoice and praise His name.
Hallelu Yah (Praise God)
Be blessed.
Kevin.
Gleanings From The Word.
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone.)
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