John Bradshaw - The Good Seed

April 6, 2025 | S25:E15

It Is Written seeks to impact lives for Christ.

#Faith #Religion #SpiritualGrowth #SpiritualFoundation #Parable #WordofGod #inActive #Creation #Health/Nutrition #Seed #Diet #ItIsWrittenwithJohnBradshaw #JohnBradshaw #Genesis1

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It Is Written with John Bradshaw | John Bradshaw - The Good Seed | April 6, 2025

♪[dramatic, triumphant theme music]♪
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♪[music ends]♪♪
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>>john bradshaw: this is "it is written."
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I'm john bradshaw. thanks for joining me.
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They are incredible things.
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Basically, everything that grows began as one of these
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Or maybe as one of these
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Or could be as one of these.
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They can be very small. they can be very large.
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They're as old as time itself.
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They show up for the first time in the bible
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On the first page of the bible.
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They were here before humans, before animals and birds.
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They were here before the sun.
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Genesis, chapter 1 says,
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"god said, 'let the earth bring forth grass,
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"'the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields
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"'fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself,
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"on the earth'; and it was so.
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"and the earth brought forth grass,
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"the herb that yields seed according to its kind,
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"and the tree that yields fruit,
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"whose seed is in itself according to its kind.
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And god saw that it was good."
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Seeds--they're absolutely vital to life itself.
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No seeds? no crops.
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No crops? no harvest.
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No harvest? no food.
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No food? no life.
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So, in each one of these little miracles is potentially life.
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It's not an exaggeration to say that you owe your life to them.
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Take them away and the human race is done.
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There's no lab on the planet that has figured out
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How to preserve life without seeds.
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This one grows wheat, from which we derive flour,
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Out of which we produce bread and tortillas and pasta
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And cookies and cakes and pies and pancakes.
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That's just from this.
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This one? corn.
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Of course, you could just eat corn on the cob or creamed corn
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Or corn on a salad of some kind.
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But corn becomes tortillas and cornbread and popcorn
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And grits--i'm in the south, remember.
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There's corn starch, masa, mealie meal in africa.
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Now, somewhere here you might start to differentiate
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Between corn and maize, but they are essentially the same thing.
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And then there's corn chips and nachos and tacos
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And quesadilla, and there's corn dogs and hushpuppies--
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And corn flakes and so many other breakfast cereals.
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And then you've got corn syrup and corn oil.
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And as well as feeding corn to humans and animals,
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As corn is a staple in animal feed, it's also fed to vehicles.
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This seed can end up being used to produce ethanol--
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Ethyl alcohol, a biofuel.
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In many parts of the united states you'll see signs
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At gas stations telling you that the fuel you're putting
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In your vehicle is 10 percent ethanol.
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Now, that's all from this one seed.
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Now, there's one more i have to show you: this one.
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When harvested, it can be boiled or fried.
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You can eat it brown or white, the difference being
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That white rice has had the bran and the germ removed.
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It's incredibly versatile.
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It can be made into milk, noodles, pasta, bread,
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Meaning that, like corn, it's often a go-to for those
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Who are gluten free.
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It's a staple for half the population of the world.
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It might become nasi goreng in indonesia,
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Or nasi lemak in malaysia,
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Or pilaf in the middle east or europe,
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Or sushi in japan,
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Or bibimbap in south korea,
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Or jambalaya in louisiana,
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Or biryani in india.
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And if we were to discuss beans, same thing,
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They're incredibly versatile, enjoyed the world over,
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Incredibly good for you, better than most people realize.
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They're inexpensive and grown from a seed.
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Or to make it even more interesting,
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The bean itself is a seed.
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Now, there's a lot we can learn from seeds.
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Jesus himself used the humble seed
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As an important teaching tool.
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In fact, in one chapter alone,
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Jesus taught three different parables
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Using seeds as his teaching aid.
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That chapter is matthew, chapter 13:
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"on the same day jesus went out of the house
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And sat by the sea."
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Jesus is at the north end of the sea of galilee
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In capernaum or, or very close to it.
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"and great multitudes were gathered together to him,
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"so that he got into a boat and sat;
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"and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
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"then he spoke many things to them in parables, saying,
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'behold, a sower went out to sow.'"
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Even today you can look up from where jesus would have been;
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You can see plants or crops being grown on the hills
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Just beyond the sea itself.
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You can imagine jesus motioning towards a farmer of some kind,
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A man growing crops, a man sowing seeds.
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The seed would land in the earth, and so would begin
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That remarkable process of germination and growth
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And then the tending of the crop and the production of the crop
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And ultimately harvest--
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And an income or food stored for the use of the family.
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Now, this is the parable where jesus speaks of seed
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Falling into different soil
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And how that affected the viability of the plant.
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Jesus talks of seed falling "by the wayside"
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And being eaten by birds.
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"some fell on stony places,
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"where they did not have much earth;
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"and they immediately sprang up
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"because they had no depth of earth.
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"but when the sun was up they were scorched,
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And because they had no root they withered away."
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Some of the seed landed where there were thorns,
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And those thorns grew up and choked the plants,
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And they had no future.
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"but others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:
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Some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
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And you'll notice jesus says,
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"he who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
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This was an important lesson, one that impacted eternal life.
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And jesus elected the humble seed to be his object lesson.
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Then later in the chapter, jesus again talks about seeds.
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"another parable he put forth to them, saying:
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"'the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed,
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"'which a man took and sowed in his field,
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"'which indeed is the least of all...seeds;
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"'but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs
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"'and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air
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Come and nest in its branches.'"
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The kingdom of heaven, the principles of heaven,
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The way god works in your life, the way of spiritual growth,
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It's like a tiny seed that grows to become a tree
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So large that birds build nests in its branches.
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A profound lesson.
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♪[soft music]♪
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Now, this here is a pumpkin seed.
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You couldn't know just by looking at it
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That this little thing would develop into something
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So incredibly productive.
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In the same chapter, there's another parable dealing
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With seeds that will absolutely impact your eternal destiny.
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We're going to take a look at that, and i'll speak
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With an expert to find out how seeds actually work.
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I'll be right back. [bird twittering]
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♪[upbeat music swells and ends]♪♪
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>>john bradshaw: thanks for joining me on "it is written."
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Jesus considered seeds so important that he built
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Some of his most memorable lessons around them.
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So, to find out something about seeds,
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I traveled to the show-me state.
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I spoke with weston adams, who works with seeds
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At baker creek heirloom seed company
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Just outside mansfield, missouri.
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I figured if anyone could help me with seeds,
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Weston was my man.
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So tell me how long you've been hanging around seeds?
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>>weston adams: i've been growing seeds
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Since i was a little guy.
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One of the things i used to do as a youngster
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Is i'd go to the store and, and pull beans off the shelf,
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Dry beans, and i'd go plant them.
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I'd plant them and grow them out,
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And that was the greatest fun to me.
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>>john: so what is it about seeds
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That you find so fascinating?
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>>weston: well, seeds,
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Seeds are a little package of life.
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They have a little baby plant.
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If you break open a bean seed,
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You can even see the little plant.
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And then they have the food that that plant needs.
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So when we eat beans, we're actually eating the food
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That it stored for the plant.
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That, that embryo is just sitting in there waiting,
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And if you plant that, it will use the food
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That's stored in the bean to start a new plant.
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>>john: that's like a little miracle, isn't it?
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>>weston: it is; it's amazing.
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>>john: what happens that makes this thing come alive?
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>>weston: well, the conditions,
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The conditions trigger that plant to break dormancy.
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It's, there's a little dormant plant in there,
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And when it's in the seed state,
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It's resistant to a lot of conditions.
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You can freeze most seeds, doesn't hurt them.
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You can dry them out, doesn't hurt them.
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But when they get the right conditions,
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They've been made that they, they spring to life
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At that point, and they use the food that's stored in the seed.
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Like in a, in a bean, they, they use the food
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That's stored in that seed to break through the soil.
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Because that plant, it can't make food until it has light.
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So if it's buried an inch under the ground,
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It has to have some food to get up to the top of the ground
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When it can start making its own.
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>>john: so, when i grow seeds, i'm planting 10,
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And i'm getting three or five or six. what's going wrong?
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>>weston: there are so many things that can happen.
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You can have seed issues.
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But, aside from seed issues,
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There's all kinds of environmental things.
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Um, it may be a water issue.
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If seeds don't have enough water,
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They're not going to germinate.
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They need to, they need to absorb that water
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In order to trigger them to break dormancy.
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Um, it could be mold issues, too much water.
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Too much water will make a seed rot in the ground.
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Could be temperature,
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When we start seeds, we start them on a heat mat
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To keep them at the right temperature.
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If you start them in a cool environment,
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A lot of seeds will rot.
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So, there's so many things, so many factors
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That can influence that kind of thing.
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♪[soft instrumental music]♪
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>>john: and that's the big difference.
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Sometimes you'll get seed from a packet like this,
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And that seed will grow, or maybe it won't.
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And when it doesn't, it's either because of what you've done
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As a grower or because the seed just failed.
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But there's one seed that always,
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Always grows and produces in your life.
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And that's the word of god.
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Peter said in 1 peter 1, verse 23,
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"having been born again,
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"not of corruptible seed but incorruptible,
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Through the word of god which lives and abides forever."
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Peter knew what it was to need to be born again.
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You remember he denied jesus three times,
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But he knew that what you need
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To right the sinking ship of your life is the word of god.
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And he likened it to a seed.
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Plant it in your heart. get it in your mind.
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But one of the challenges that many people face
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Is they're not planting the seed
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Of the word of god in their lives.
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In fact, they're planting in their lives
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That which militates against the effectiveness
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Of the word of god,
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That undermines what god is trying to do in your experience.
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♪[reflective music]♪
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There are a lot of spiritual lessons that can be learned
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From seed-sowing.
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To find out more, i sat down with jere gettle,
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The founder of baker creek heirloom seed company.
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>>john: so you've been selling seeds
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For more than a quarter of a century. who's buying them?
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>>jere gettle: definitely a, a lot of people
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From all different generations and cultures are growing food.
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We've definitely seen a lot more minorities getting back
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Into growing their own food.
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We're also seeing a, a huge trend in, like,
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The 24- to 35-year-olds.
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That's one of our biggest groups.
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Probably our two biggest groups are like that,
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24-35 and then also the, like, 54-65,
00:13:14.182 --> 00:13:18.453
That early retirement area. >>john: that's surprising.
00:13:18.453 --> 00:13:20.989
>>jere: people just starting their homes, their families
00:13:20.989 --> 00:13:23.157
Or getting out on their own, basically,
00:13:23.157 --> 00:13:24.859
And that's a big push.
00:13:24.859 --> 00:13:26.427
And then the second biggest group is that
00:13:26.427 --> 00:13:28.096
"i'm just getting ready to retire, i've just retired,
00:13:28.096 --> 00:13:29.931
And i want to grow my own food."
00:13:29.931 --> 00:13:31.666
But a lot more gardeners are starting gardening
00:13:31.666 --> 00:13:34.669
Maybe not as big of gardens as in the past.
00:13:34.669 --> 00:13:36.604
But a lot of people want some of their own food,
00:13:36.604 --> 00:13:38.473
Some of their own herbs, some of their own flowers.
00:13:38.473 --> 00:13:40.375
You know, they want to have a backyard
00:13:40.375 --> 00:13:41.376
That's full of bees and butterflies,
00:13:41.376 --> 00:13:43.177
And, you know-- >>john: yeah, yeah.
00:13:43.177 --> 00:13:44.512
>>jere: ...they want that kind of connection to nature.
00:13:44.512 --> 00:13:46.247
>>john: so if somebody wants to plant something, uh,
00:13:46.247 --> 00:13:49.851
Doesn't matter to me whether they have a farm
00:13:49.851 --> 00:13:51.352
Or a, a balcony at an apartment,
00:13:51.352 --> 00:13:53.454
What can somebody do to, to get started?
00:13:53.454 --> 00:13:55.990
Or what can somebody do to, to grow their little home operation
00:13:55.990 --> 00:13:59.827
And, uh, become more expansive? what would you recommend?
00:13:59.827 --> 00:14:02.497
>>jere: i guess the first thing is trying different things.
00:14:02.497 --> 00:14:04.365
You know, a lot of people think,
00:14:04.365 --> 00:14:05.633
"oh, i just want to grow tomatoes."
00:14:05.633 --> 00:14:06.968
So they just try tomatoes. but the biggest thing
00:14:06.968 --> 00:14:08.703
Is to try different things and also talk to your neighbors,
00:14:08.703 --> 00:14:11.306
Talk to your family, talk to your friends that are gardening.
00:14:11.306 --> 00:14:13.474
That's the biggest help, is talk to those right around you.
00:14:13.474 --> 00:14:15.977
Go talk to the older ladies at the garden club.
00:14:15.977 --> 00:14:18.613
They have, you know,
00:14:18.613 --> 00:14:19.781
A lot of times they have, like, 80 years of knowledge.
00:14:19.781 --> 00:14:21.749
So it's, you know, a great place to start.
00:14:21.749 --> 00:14:23.651
If you're short on space, try something in a bucket or a box
00:14:23.651 --> 00:14:26.654
Or a, you know, you can use almost anything to grow stuff--
00:14:26.654 --> 00:14:28.990
In a, a storage tub or a barrel or whatever,
00:14:28.990 --> 00:14:32.460
Wherever you're at, if you don't have soil.
00:14:32.460 --> 00:14:34.462
Or you can also look for a neighbor or a friend
00:14:34.462 --> 00:14:36.464
Or a community garden. there's plenty of places
00:14:36.464 --> 00:14:38.366
Where you can get a little piece of ground to grow on.
00:14:38.366 --> 00:14:40.702
>>john: so what are some of the biblical lessons that have,
00:14:40.702 --> 00:14:43.972
Have struck you over the years as you've worked with seeds?
00:14:43.972 --> 00:14:48.476
>>jere: yeah, and that's a good question.
00:14:48.476 --> 00:14:49.811
I mean, i think, first off, you know,
00:14:49.811 --> 00:14:51.579
It's where god originally put us.
00:14:51.579 --> 00:14:53.014
I mean, he put us in a garden. um, when you're in the garden,
00:14:53.014 --> 00:14:56.517
It just--how to keep, to think more about your life,
00:14:56.517 --> 00:14:59.287
It takes you away from the rat race.
00:14:59.287 --> 00:15:01.189
And it makes you think about how god made that little,
00:15:01.189 --> 00:15:03.791
Tiny piece of dust, and you sit there and watch it transform
00:15:03.791 --> 00:15:07.929
Into something, and you're like, you know, it's,
00:15:07.929 --> 00:15:10.298
It's unbelievable.
00:15:10.298 --> 00:15:11.499
It's like, you know, it's like, uh, nothing growing into--
00:15:11.499 --> 00:15:15.436
It seems like nothing; it's actually a, you know,
00:15:15.436 --> 00:15:17.238
An amazing little package growing into this big,
00:15:17.238 --> 00:15:20.141
You know--and i guess that's the same way god works
00:15:20.141 --> 00:15:22.210
With, you know, people and, uh, life in general.
00:15:22.210 --> 00:15:25.947
It's, you know, little, tiny things, you know, matter.
00:15:25.947 --> 00:15:28.182
Little, tiny, you know, thoughts or, uh, deeds
00:15:28.182 --> 00:15:31.652
Or, whatever we do, it's like these little, tiny things
00:15:31.652 --> 00:15:34.155
Are oftentimes the most important.
00:15:34.155 --> 00:15:35.556
♪[reflective music]♪
00:15:35.556 --> 00:15:39.894
>>john: so, if i were to plant one of these, what would grow?
00:15:39.894 --> 00:15:44.632
>>jere: a squash or a pumpkin, the same thing.
00:15:44.632 --> 00:15:46.701
But, yeah, that's definitely what you would get.
00:15:46.701 --> 00:15:49.537
>>john: if i were to plant one of these,
00:15:49.537 --> 00:15:54.308
What am i going to get?
00:15:54.308 --> 00:15:55.309
>>jere: a hard-shell gourd, a big old gourd.
00:15:55.309 --> 00:15:57.578
>>john: not a pumpkin? >>jere: no.
00:15:57.578 --> 00:15:58.913
Yeah, big old green gourd.
00:15:58.913 --> 00:16:00.381
>>john: not a squash? >>jere: no.
00:16:00.381 --> 00:16:02.016
>>john: if i were to plant this?
00:16:02.016 --> 00:16:06.087
>>jere: maize or corn. >>john: not a cucumber?
00:16:06.087 --> 00:16:08.022
>>jere: wouldn't get a cucumber or anything else.
00:16:08.022 --> 00:16:10.458
>>john: maize or corn? >>jere: yeah.
00:16:10.458 --> 00:16:11.826
>>john: every time? >>jere: every time.
00:16:11.826 --> 00:16:14.028
>>john: without exception? >>jere: correct.
00:16:14.028 --> 00:16:15.530
>>john: okay. so why is that?
00:16:15.530 --> 00:16:17.165
>>jere: because you reap what you sow.
00:16:17.165 --> 00:16:19.867
>>john: that's an interesting one, isn't it?
00:16:21.402 --> 00:16:23.604
You reap what you sow. that's a biblical principle.
00:16:23.604 --> 00:16:27.575
We'll look at it further in just a moment.
00:16:27.575 --> 00:16:30.311
♪[upbeat music swells and ends]♪♪
00:16:30.311 --> 00:16:37.351
>>john: thank you for remembering that it is written
00:16:38.953 --> 00:16:41.022
Exists because of the kindness of people just like you.
00:16:41.022 --> 00:16:44.459
To support this international life-changing ministry,
00:16:44.459 --> 00:16:47.695
Please call us now at 800-253-3000.
00:16:47.695 --> 00:16:51.966
You can send your tax-deductible gift
00:16:51.966 --> 00:16:53.434
To the address on your screen,
00:16:53.434 --> 00:16:54.936
Or you can visit online at itiswritten.com.
00:16:54.936 --> 00:16:58.739
Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support.
00:16:58.739 --> 00:17:01.509
Our number again is 800-253-3000,
00:17:01.509 --> 00:17:05.680
Or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com.
00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:08.716
♪[soft reflective music]♪
00:17:10.451 --> 00:17:14.489
>>john: the apostle paul wrote about horticultural principles.
00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:22.497
Writing to the church of galatia,
00:17:22.497 --> 00:17:24.031
Which was located in a fertile region
00:17:24.031 --> 00:17:26.200
Towards the northwest of turkey,
00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:28.669
Paul said, "do not be deceived, god is not mocked;
00:17:28.669 --> 00:17:33.875
"for whatever a man sows, that [will he] also reap.
00:17:33.875 --> 00:17:38.312
"for he who sows to his flesh
00:17:38.312 --> 00:17:40.615
"will of the flesh reap corruption,
00:17:40.615 --> 00:17:43.451
"but he who sows to the spirit
00:17:43.451 --> 00:17:45.586
Will of the spirit reap everlasting life."
00:17:45.586 --> 00:17:48.623
That's galatians, chapter 6, verses 7 and 8.
00:17:48.623 --> 00:17:51.893
You reap what you sow.
00:17:51.893 --> 00:17:54.028
Put a carrot seed in the ground, sow carrot seeds,
00:17:54.028 --> 00:17:57.398
And you'll harvest carrots.
00:17:57.398 --> 00:17:59.400
You know that.
00:17:59.400 --> 00:18:00.434
Plant a pumpkin seed; harvest pumpkins.
00:18:00.434 --> 00:18:03.671
No one ever planted lima beans and got arugula.
00:18:03.671 --> 00:18:07.341
No one ever planted celery and got cabbage.
00:18:07.341 --> 00:18:10.411
You reap what you sow.
00:18:10.411 --> 00:18:13.047
So, if you're going around all day angry at the world,
00:18:13.047 --> 00:18:17.451
You're going to reap what?
00:18:17.451 --> 00:18:20.121
It's pretty simple, isn't it?
00:18:20.121 --> 00:18:21.622
But if you're sowing joy, happiness,
00:18:21.622 --> 00:18:24.492
What can you expect to echo in your life?
00:18:24.492 --> 00:18:27.161
You know it's true.
00:18:27.161 --> 00:18:28.496
If you're sowing selfishness,
00:18:28.496 --> 00:18:30.264
You're going to reap selfishness.
00:18:30.264 --> 00:18:31.966
If you sow generosity, on the other hand,
00:18:31.966 --> 00:18:34.202
You're going to reap generosity, or plenty, in your life.
00:18:34.202 --> 00:18:38.139
Now, this is not the power of positive thinking
00:18:38.139 --> 00:18:40.808
Or name-it-and-claim-it.
00:18:40.808 --> 00:18:42.710
It's god who rules the universe, not you and me.
00:18:42.710 --> 00:18:45.713
But an unalterable law of the universe
00:18:45.713 --> 00:18:48.149
Is that if you sow faith, you reap blessing.
00:18:48.149 --> 00:18:52.553
If you sow obedience, you reap god's favor.
00:18:52.553 --> 00:18:56.924
You reap what you sow.
00:18:56.924 --> 00:18:59.060
There's an old story i heard years ago.
00:18:59.060 --> 00:19:01.062
I don't think it's meant to be documentary.
00:19:01.062 --> 00:19:03.497
A family was moving to a new town and stopped for gas
00:19:03.497 --> 00:19:06.667
Not too far from their destination.
00:19:06.667 --> 00:19:08.769
They said to the gas station attendant,
00:19:08.769 --> 00:19:10.705
"we're moving to the next town over.
00:19:10.705 --> 00:19:12.573
What are the people like there?"
00:19:12.573 --> 00:19:14.442
The person said, "well, what were the people like
00:19:14.442 --> 00:19:16.844
Where you just moved from?"
00:19:16.844 --> 00:19:18.346
"wonderful," they said.
00:19:18.346 --> 00:19:20.014
Person said, "well, i reckon you'll find
00:19:20.014 --> 00:19:21.816
The people where you're moving just the same."
00:19:21.816 --> 00:19:25.186
Later a man stops and tells the gas station attendant
00:19:25.186 --> 00:19:27.521
The same story: "i'm moving to the town just north of here.
00:19:27.521 --> 00:19:30.591
What are the people like?"
00:19:30.591 --> 00:19:31.892
Same question: "what were they like where you've been living?"
00:19:31.892 --> 00:19:35.096
"terrible," he said. "i couldn't stand them."
00:19:35.096 --> 00:19:37.765
"hmm. i reckon you'll find the people where you're moving
00:19:37.765 --> 00:19:41.469
Pretty much the same."
00:19:41.469 --> 00:19:44.105
You know, you reap what you sow
00:19:44.105 --> 00:19:45.806
When it comes to the way you treat others.
00:19:45.806 --> 00:19:48.809
There's all kinds of people who aren't enjoying life
00:19:48.809 --> 00:19:51.512
Because, for whatever reason,
00:19:51.512 --> 00:19:53.047
They're not sowing the right kind of seed.
00:19:53.047 --> 00:19:56.183
They're not investing in others
00:19:56.183 --> 00:19:57.918
Or maybe even in themselves.
00:19:57.918 --> 00:20:00.254
If you're not investing in yourself,
00:20:00.254 --> 00:20:02.490
Your health is going to go down the drain.
00:20:02.490 --> 00:20:04.825
It takes some effort to keep weight off,
00:20:04.825 --> 00:20:06.527
To eat better, to exercise.
00:20:06.527 --> 00:20:08.629
You are sowing when you take care of those things.
00:20:08.629 --> 00:20:11.932
You're sowing when you walk or ride a bicycle
00:20:11.932 --> 00:20:14.602
Instead of driving.
00:20:14.602 --> 00:20:15.770
When you think to eat fruits and veggies
00:20:15.770 --> 00:20:17.405
And cut back on fried food, you're sowing;
00:20:17.405 --> 00:20:21.075
You're investing in yourself.
00:20:21.075 --> 00:20:23.277
You're going to reap fewer health problems.
00:20:23.277 --> 00:20:25.780
You're going to reap better health.
00:20:25.780 --> 00:20:28.749
When you go to church and get involved at church
00:20:28.749 --> 00:20:33.087
And look for ways to be of service, you are sowing.
00:20:33.087 --> 00:20:37.458
You could sit on the couch and drink soda and eat potato chips.
00:20:37.458 --> 00:20:40.995
You could aimlessly scroll through online videos.
00:20:40.995 --> 00:20:44.498
Or you could go to that bible study or that midweek service
00:20:44.498 --> 00:20:48.369
And grow spiritually.
00:20:48.369 --> 00:20:50.204
You could lie in bed or get out of bed
00:20:50.204 --> 00:20:53.007
And spend devotional time with god,
00:20:53.007 --> 00:20:55.776
Reading your bible, and praying.
00:20:55.776 --> 00:20:58.312
That's sowing.
00:20:58.312 --> 00:21:00.581
Do the opposite? okay, you get more time in bed,
00:21:00.581 --> 00:21:03.150
But go to bed a little earlier
00:21:03.150 --> 00:21:04.585
Or don't waste time on social media,
00:21:04.585 --> 00:21:06.620
And then you won't need that extra sleep time.
00:21:06.620 --> 00:21:09.557
That extra time in bed comes with a heavy price tag:
00:21:09.557 --> 00:21:12.526
Not feeding yourself spiritually,
00:21:12.526 --> 00:21:15.429
Not growing in your walk with god,
00:21:15.429 --> 00:21:17.932
Shriveling up instead and never becoming all you could be
00:21:17.932 --> 00:21:22.236
As a disciple of jesus.
00:21:22.236 --> 00:21:24.338
And speaking of sowing and reaping,
00:21:24.338 --> 00:21:26.540
Look at romans 6, verses 5 and 6 with me:
00:21:26.540 --> 00:21:29.210
"for if we have been planted together
00:21:29.210 --> 00:21:31.579
"in the likeness of his death,
00:21:31.579 --> 00:21:33.681
"we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
00:21:33.681 --> 00:21:37.852
"knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him,
00:21:37.852 --> 00:21:42.623
"that the body of sin might be destroyed,
00:21:42.623 --> 00:21:46.026
That henceforth we should not serve sin."
00:21:46.026 --> 00:21:49.864
"planted together in the likeness of his death."
00:21:49.864 --> 00:21:53.200
Right before this, paul has written about baptism.
00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:56.470
Now, the old you is being put to death, crucified,
00:21:56.470 --> 00:22:00.975
Same idea as baptism, which is the burial of the old,
00:22:00.975 --> 00:22:05.946
Unconverted, unborn-again you in a watery grave.
00:22:05.946 --> 00:22:10.584
The old you is planted, as it were, and new life
00:22:10.584 --> 00:22:14.822
Springs forth from where that old you once was.
00:22:14.822 --> 00:22:19.326
This expands the idea to take on the concept
00:22:19.326 --> 00:22:22.296
Of sowing your life in christ and reaping everlasting life.
00:22:22.296 --> 00:22:28.335
Now, there's something else to watch for.
00:22:28.335 --> 00:22:31.338
Back in matthew 13 there's another seed-based parable,
00:22:31.338 --> 00:22:35.476
The parable of the wheat and the tares,
00:22:35.476 --> 00:22:38.145
Or the wheat and the weeds.
00:22:38.145 --> 00:22:40.448
In this parable, jesus says,
00:22:40.448 --> 00:22:42.983
"the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed
00:22:42.983 --> 00:22:47.321
"in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came
00:22:47.321 --> 00:22:52.092
And sowed tares among the wheat and went his way."
00:22:52.092 --> 00:22:56.330
Now, this was a nasty thing to do.
00:22:56.330 --> 00:22:58.199
But it would happen in that day. you could ruin someone's crop.
00:22:58.199 --> 00:23:01.001
You could ruin somebody's livelihood that way.
00:23:01.001 --> 00:23:04.171
The man's grain sprouted and grew,
00:23:04.171 --> 00:23:06.307
And the weeds grew up among the grain.
00:23:06.307 --> 00:23:09.410
In that area at that time, there was a darnel
00:23:09.410 --> 00:23:11.712
That looked so much like wheat
00:23:11.712 --> 00:23:13.547
You couldn't tell them apart until they'd matured,
00:23:13.547 --> 00:23:16.717
And by then, you had havoc in your field.
00:23:16.717 --> 00:23:20.621
The owner of the field said, "an enemy has done this."
00:23:20.621 --> 00:23:24.992
So it's possible, it seems, for others to sow in your field,
00:23:24.992 --> 00:23:29.129
To sow negativity in your life.
00:23:29.129 --> 00:23:31.565
And, of course, we know that the enemy in this story
00:23:31.565 --> 00:23:34.101
Is the devil.
00:23:34.101 --> 00:23:35.669
The devil will sow doubt, unbelief, lack of faith,
00:23:35.669 --> 00:23:40.875
Discouragement.
00:23:40.875 --> 00:23:41.876
♪[soft music]♪
00:23:41.876 --> 00:23:43.077
You don't want to let that happen, and you don't have to.
00:23:43.077 --> 00:23:46.647
When you've made a decision that jesus has your life,
00:23:46.647 --> 00:23:50.484
Your heart, your loyalty,
00:23:50.484 --> 00:23:53.354
And if you'll renew that decision every day,
00:23:53.354 --> 00:23:56.257
You'll keep the enemy from sowing damaging seeds
00:23:56.257 --> 00:23:59.593
In your field. sure, things will happen.
00:23:59.593 --> 00:24:01.929
This is life we're living, not a game we're playing.
00:24:01.929 --> 00:24:05.165
But in all of life's ups and downs,
00:24:05.165 --> 00:24:07.668
You can choose to trust god, to stay grounded in the word,
00:24:07.668 --> 00:24:11.605
And to keep up your connection with god.
00:24:11.605 --> 00:24:13.641
There'll be efforts made to derail your faith.
00:24:13.641 --> 00:24:16.644
An enemy has done this.
00:24:16.644 --> 00:24:18.846
Sometimes it'll be a person having a bad day,
00:24:18.846 --> 00:24:21.382
And you're bearing the brunt of that.
00:24:21.382 --> 00:24:23.617
An enemy has done this.
00:24:23.617 --> 00:24:25.853
Illness, grief, loss, disappointment--
00:24:25.853 --> 00:24:30.724
An enemy has done this.
00:24:30.724 --> 00:24:32.960
But even in the midst of that,
00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:35.963
God will give you "beauty for ashes,
00:24:35.963 --> 00:24:38.666
"the oil of joy for mourning,
00:24:38.666 --> 00:24:41.635
"the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
00:24:41.635 --> 00:24:45.005
"[so] that [you] might be called trees of righteousness,
00:24:45.005 --> 00:24:48.342
The planting of the lord, that he might be glorified."
00:24:48.342 --> 00:24:53.781
Remember, you reap what you sow.
00:24:53.781 --> 00:24:57.217
Sow to the flesh, and you reap corruption.
00:24:57.217 --> 00:25:01.188
Sow to the spirit,
00:25:01.188 --> 00:25:02.957
And of the spirit you'll reap everlasting life.
00:25:02.957 --> 00:25:07.061
♪[music ends]♪♪
00:25:07.061 --> 00:25:08.095
>>announcer: today's free offer
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00:25:13.233 --> 00:25:15.569
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00:25:33.554 --> 00:25:37.992
>>john: let me pray for you now. let's pray together.
00:25:39.960 --> 00:25:42.630
Our father in heaven, in jesus' name we come to you,
00:25:42.630 --> 00:25:45.232
Thanking you that we might reap what we sow.
00:25:45.232 --> 00:25:49.169
We're grateful that as we sow your word in our lives
00:25:49.169 --> 00:25:51.839
And sow through prayer and worship and fellowship
00:25:51.839 --> 00:25:55.376
And service, that we can expect your presence,
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And we can expect your blessing.
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Now, give us grace, lord, because far too often
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We sow negativity; we sow unhappiness;
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We sow discouragement; we sow hostility.
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Really, we don't want that.
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We are asking that jesus would live his life in us,
00:26:12.693 --> 00:26:16.397
That we would be filled with your holy spirit,
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That your will would be done,
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And we could sow into this world the character of jesus.
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We thank you for your word.
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Let it take deep root in our heart and bear much fruit
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For your glory, we pray, in jesus' name.
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Amen.
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Thanks so much for joining me.
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Looking forward to seeing you again next time.
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Until then, remember:
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"it is written, 'man shall not live by bread alone,
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But by every word that proceeds from the mouth of god.'"
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♪[dramatic, triumphant theme music]♪
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♪[music ends]♪♪
00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:27.000

John Bradshaw - The Good Seed

April 6, 2025 | S25:E15

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