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Gleanings From The Word

Category: devotional

  • The Kingdom of God Grows Like Corn in a Field

    A row of tall corn reminds me of the growth of the church

    Our local area is famous for its corn crops. “Chilliwack” corn is highly sought after in stores and farm markets in Western Canada. It seems that as we drive down country roads, almost every farm is either berries or corn.

    Every day the corn gets visibly taller. I wondered how tall corn could grow, so I looked it up. While typical “tall corn” reaches about 8 feet, the world’s record corn reached 45 feet. That is nearly as tall as a four-story building.

    Recently I saw a hummingbird rest briefly on the top of a corn 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 ESV

    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 died 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, day by day, member by member, it continues to grow even if we are not seeing it personally.

    When we get discouraged, we would be wise to remember Christ’s words. 

    “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 ESV

    Christ has defeated sin and death. The process continues until all whom 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.

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    A hummingbird resting on top of our tall Chilliwack corn reminded me of Jesus’ mustard seed parable. It’s a picture of how the kingdom of God keeps growing quietly, soul by soul, even when we can’t see it happening.

    TAKEAWAY

    A hummingbird perching atop a cornstalk sparked a reflection on Jesus’ parables of the mustard seed and the leaven in Luke 13:18-21

    The kingdom of God has grown from a handful of followers to over 2.5 billion believers today, exceeding anything imaginable in Jesus’ time

    Christ’s promise in Matthew 16:18 assures us the church’s growth cannot be stopped, even when it feels stagnant or discouraging

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  • Seven Sayings of Christ on the Cross

    Part 1 of a devotional series

    Crucifixion by Rembrant - classic Chrsitian art

    Today’s classic Christian art piece is Rembrandt’s depiction of the crucifixion. Today, we begin looking at the so-called “Seven Sayings on the Cross,” or, as it is sometimes called, the “Seven Words of Jesus on the Cross.”

    Seven words, or sayings, were recorded as being said by Jesus while on the cross. Each of them is profound, although we typically skip over them. They have occupied the minds of many theologians and pastors, and numerous books have been written on them.

    There have been more deaths than could be counted since the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, but there has only been one like this. Jesus’ death is unique. Hundreds of thousands (or more) of people died by crucifixion, but Jesus’ death stands alone. Untold people have been innocent of the crimes they were killed for, but only Jesus was sinless and totally innocent.

    Mankind and the powers of darkness did their worst to keep the light from shining because they love the dark. The very act they used for the vilest of purposes was orchestrated by God to work the opposite. They chose to silence Jesus. His death glorifies God and proclaims the saving truth of the gospel for all who seek the light.

    In their mocking, Jew and Gentile alike called him “King of the Jews,” all the while missing that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was in their presence.

    Jesus was raised from the dead, but the Scriptures also record that truth for others. The difference is that Jesus did not stay dead.

    Indeed, humankind’s wisdom and ways are not God’s wisdom and ways. A peasant boy, born in a subjugated country not much more than a tiny Roman colony, was killed horrifically… not the way the world would script the origins of the Savior of the world.

    Every word spoken by Jesus, as recorded by the gospel writers, is packed full of meaning. A mere handful of phrases spoken in a time of unbelievable agony, with each and every word spoken for a purpose and with power.

    Jesus had the power to lay down His life or pick it up; the full power of the Godhead was available to Him. He could have spoken nonstop or not spoken at all. The fact that He is sovereign over all things, including his pain-filled utterances, should cause us to pay close attention to the words He chose to speak. 

    Church history has typically named the sayings (albeit with some variance) as follows…

    The Word of Forgiveness 

    And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Luke 23:34a ESV

    The Word of Salvation 

    … he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43 ESV

    The Word of Affection

    … standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” John 19:25-26 ESV

    The Word of Anguish  

    And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46 ESV

    The Word of Suffering

    After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” John 19:28 ESV

    The Word of Victory 

    When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.  John 19:30 ESV

    The Word of Contentment

    Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:46 ESV

    These sayings are a few short sentences, not many words at all, even less in the original Greek manuscripts. Still, they are profound and worth meditating on. Each one tells us something about the very heart of God.

    Tomorrow, we will begin with the words of forgiveness.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    SUMMARY

    We are walking through the setting for the Seven Sayings, seven brief but weighty statements Jesus spoke from the cross. Though only a handful of words, each one reveals something of the heart of God and deserves our full attention.

    TAKEAWAY

    Jesus’ death is utterly unique in history, He was the only truly innocent, sinless man to die this way

    What men and the powers of darkness meant for evil, God orchestrated for good, using the cross to glorify Himself and reveal the gospel

    Jesus was sovereign over His own suffering, so the words He chose to speak while dying carry deliberate weight and purpose

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