John 12:24 – “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone.” In the summer, when the world is at its fairest, one thing that impresses us very strongly is what I might call the prodigality of nature. Every flower is busy fashioning its seeds; there are trees with thousands of seed pods on them; and we know that of all these millions of seeds being formed, not one in ten thousand will ever come to anything. Now, I am not going to speak of the problems suggested by that wastefulness. I wish rather to say a word or two upon the subject of undeveloped lives. In every corn of wheat that finds no congenial soil, there are undeveloped possibilities of harvest; and that suggests to me the question that often confronts us, the question of undeveloped lives. (George H. Morrison) Mr. Morrison captured a thought I’d like you to think about. God created all creatures with a purpose and for a purpose. If a honeybee is not collecting pollen and nectar it is not fulfilling its purpose and is basically worthless in nature. It was created for a specific purpose. It is to collect nectar and in so doing pollinate all the plants it touches.
If it is not doing that, what good is it? Animals have specific characteristics. Each has his place in nature. There are those that live to feed others and even in their death they still feed yet another species. If a hunter field dresses a deer and leaves the entrails in the woods, then whatever some by first feeds on the remainder.
The Naturalist complains about all the animals “uselessly” slaughtered, yet in every case it goes back into the Ecosystem of our planet. There is a Plant Cycle found in almost every science book. It starts with a seed, produces a plant, generates a fruit, within the fruit is a seed. If no one picks the fruit, it falls to the ground and the cycle is repeated.
There is an Animal Cycle, a Weather Cycle, an Air Circulation Cycle and many more cycles that keep the earth in living condition. It was designed by God for man’s habitation. It is self healing, as well. No matter what man in his ignorance does, God Almighty has a cure in place for it. Like our bodies, the earth can repair itself.
All that is until we reach mankind. Mankind is a special case. Even though the system of reproduction or the Human Cycle of birth, marriage, children, death was designed by God to replenish the earth, man can violate the cycle. Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
A deer cannot help being a deer. A cat is always a cat. A dog is always a Dog, but man was given choices of what he is to become. Yes, mankind is always mankind, but man himself has choices that animals do not have. Animals by their very unchangeable nature are always animals. Man on the other hand can chose his occupation, he can chose where he wants to live, he can change his circumstances whenever and as often as he wants to.
Yet there is something deep within him that wants to serve God. Now we can be at our happiest state when we are doing what God designed us to do. If we banish all the wickedness around us, we can live in happy isolation from every negative influence that causes us to be unhappy. We can, but mankind does not choose to do that. Romans reports to us what man, who will not follow God leading, becomes.
Romans 1:22- 32 “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
God created man to choose for himself what live he decides to live, yet he placed consequences on disobedience. Our best life is to live as God ordained human life to be. In doing that, we have peace, joy and happiness. If we do not, then we have a terrible life filled with regret, anger, and in the end, punishment. Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Yes, there is a punishment attached to our decisions while we are alive and much more severe punishments at our death, if we do not chose to receive the Cycle of Life that God ordained and man corrupted. Our Cycle for Eternal Life is this, birth, growth, sin, misery, finding God, forgiveness, and eternal life.
Mr. Morrison spoke of underdeveloped lives. Any life that defies God’s plan for them with end in chaos and trouble. There will be not fruit. The seed is unfulfilled the life is not complete.
The Cycle of Life for the lost is birth, growth, sin, corruption, anger, hatred, misery, death and punishment. Is that the Cycle of Life you are in? Good News! You can break out of that cycle any time you turn to God!
