It is amazing to see all of the different ways that God uses the concept of the seed, seed time and harvest and sowing and reaping to describe different aspects of the Kingdom. When we go back to the Garden of Eden, even before Adam’s sin, we can find that the trees of the Garden had seeds. What were the seeds for? What was to be man’s role or responsibility in all of this? What is being revealed through the seed and what is God’s purpose?
Here are some examples of the principle of the seed revealed in Scripture:
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1Pe 1:23)
The Word of God is incorruptible seed which when received into the heart of man produces the re-created spirit.
Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. (Lu 8:11)
Jesus makes it clear again that His Word is seed. In another passage he describes how the Kingdom works:
And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. (Mr 4:26-27)
Everything in the Kingdom works according to this principle. The seed is the Word. Everything in life needs to be sowed with the Word of God. Our minds, our bodies, even our spirit man needs the continual influence of the seed of God’s Word. This is how our lives are transformed, our minds renewed, our bodies healed and the kingdom is expanded over the face of the earth!
The Seed of Faith
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. (Luke 17:6)
What do you do with a seed? If you want to see increase, you plant it! How do you plant the seed of faith? By speaking. ‘Ye might say…be plucked up by the root…’ Our words of faith must be ‘sown’ if we hope to reap the promises of God. That is how the Kingdom works. God has given us all of His promises (2 Cor. 1:20, 2 Pet. 1:3-4), and the promises are activated by the seed of faith.
A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. (Prov. 18:20)
Our words are both fruit and seed. We speak from the abundance of our heart (fruit) and every fruit carries a seed. Abundant life is the fruit of the seed of righteousness being sown by our words!
We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; (2 Cor. 4:13)
The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: (Prov. 10:11)
The lips of the righteous feed many: (Prov. 10:21)
Put the seed of faith to work in your words. Let your righteousness speak and you will be satisfied with the fruit of your mouth!
The Seed of Giving
But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully. (2 Cor. 9:6)
Paul uses the seed concept to speak of the blessings of giving and receiving. Just as it is in the natural, so is it in the spiritual. We reap according to what we sow and according to how much we sow. And it is God who takes the responsibility to get more seed to the sower and multiply the seed sown!
Now he that ministers seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; (2Co 9:10)
What an incredible opportunity we have as children of God to enter in to His way of doing things. The principle of the seed is the principle of God, His kingdom and even His plan of redemption! God’s grace has made seed available and wisdom puts it to work!
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. (Luke 6:38)
Jesus, the Seed
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit. (John 12:23-24)
Jesus refers to Himself as a seed that must be sown in order for the fruit of the Kingdom to come forth. You and I are a part of that harvest. We are born again according to the principle of sowing and reaping. God is the Giver who sowed His Son in order to reap you!
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; (Mt. 13:38)
Even when speaking of humanity, Jesus recognized the children of the kingdom and the children of the wicked one as the harvest of seeds sown. The ‘good seed’ are the children of the kingdom. You and I are seeds! As seeds we are designed to bear the fruit of God's life in us toward the world. And every fruit contains more seed!
Once we understand how the Kingdom works it is easy to move into God’s way of doing things. Every thought, word and action is a seed, and every seed reproduces according to its nature. We can see great increase in our lives if we knowingly activate the power of the seed principle.