Seeds of Time

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. The reading today titled Seeds of Time was written by Kenneth Peterson. In 1879, people watching William Beale would likely think he was loony. They'd see the professor of botany filling 20 bottles with various seeds, then burying them in deep soil. What they didn't know was that Beale was conducting a seed viability experiment that would span centuries.

Every 20 years, a bottle would be dug up to plant its seeds and see which seeds would germinate. Jesus talked a lot about seed planting, often likening the sowing of seed to the spreading of the word. He taught that some seeds are snatched by Satan, others have no foundation and don't take root, and yet others are hampered by the life around them and are choked out. As we spread the good news, it's not up to us which seeds will survive. Our job is simply to sow the gospel, to tell others about Jesus, go into all the world, and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation, Jesus said in Mark 16.

In 2021, another of Beale's bottles was dug up. The seeds were planted by researchers and some sprouted, having survived more than 142 years. As God works through us and we share our faith with others, we never know if the word we share will take root or when. But we're to be encouraged that our sowing of the good news might, even after many years, be received by someone who will accept it and produce a crop.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Mark chapter 4 verses 13 through 20. Hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word, but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things, come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop.

Some 30, some 60, some 100 times what was sown. Now let's go to God in prayer. Lord Jesus, please give us courage to share you with our friends and family and colleagues who don't yet know you, and then allow you to water and fertilize the seed that we've planted, trusting that you will make the seed grow. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name that we pray and share the good news. Amen. Thanks for listening. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.