Seed according to their own kind

Genesis 1:11-13

From the time I was a small child until now, I’ve always enjoyed growing things in a garden. My first garden was in that black gumbo clay we called dirt in Corpus Christi, then after Jan and I were married we had our first garden in some of the best sandy soil in the Rolling Acres area northwest of Corpus Christi. We then moved to Odem, Texas and for thirteen years we had great gardens, and even on our ¾ of an acre in Houston, Texas, for many of the twenty-two years had very nice gardens.  Since moving to the hill country of Texas, I have found that it is hard to grow a garden in rocks.

I am a long way from being an expert on the growing of vegetables, but a large part of my life I’ve tried many soils and different methods and have come to understand that if I want corn, it will require corn seed.  Genesis 1:11,12, explains that was how God designed it to happen, “And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.”  And it was so.  The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good.”

You and I and everyone who has lived since Adam, has inherited the physical and spiritual seeds or characteristics from Adam, we have shown up on planet earth with a big problem, God calls it a dead spirit.  Adam’s seeds after he sinned were put into the laboratory of Satan, and he reengineered it to be independent of God, and there in lies mankind’s problem.   Romans 8:5, 7,8, give us clear insight into our problem of living independent of Jesus Christ, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  (7,8,) For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”  Romans 10:2,3, Paul the apostle states; “I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”  We all have shown up on earth with this independent spirit that wants to do it our way.

My friend, Bill Gillham, in his book “What God Wishes Christians knew about Christianity” has a few quotes that might give light on this subject, “That Birth, not performance determines identity.”  In John 3:3, Jesus tells Nicodemus; “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Nick, says wait a minute, how am I going to get back into mom, and in the sixth verse Jesus goes on to explain the fact about how the flesh lives a total independent life, a life God calls dead, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born again.” 

It all goes back to the seed, we were born into sin, no one had to teach us how to live independent from God, we do it by our nature, a nature based on “doing it our way.”  Let me end with two quotes from Bill, “Too often our feelings – rather than God’s Word – become the controlling factor in our lives.” “How you feel and act are not the indicators of your true identity – God’s Word is.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice