Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Bigger and Better
* Scripture: Jesus said, "But many who are first will be last, and the last first." (Matt. 19:30)

Bigger is better! At least in the realm of fruits and vegetables. Everybody wants the prize-winner, the largest variety possible. The seed catalogues cash in on this tendency by showing pictures of a child with a giant pumpkin, so big that she can sit upon it. Maybe it is the dinner-plate sized dahlia that catches the eye of the flower aficionado. The most widely sought treasure of bigness, though, is probably the tomato.
I have read that the tomato is possibly the most widely grown of a things garden. It may be the only edible produce in the garden, tucked into a small bed, staked and trained to take up the least space possible. But BIG! Tomatoes have to be big. Large enough that one slice fills a sandwich. In fact, some of the most popular varieties have big in the name - Big Boy, or even Better Boy.
Big isn't everything, though. The smallest among the tomato family is a tough little rascal, a real survivor. Year after year, I find volunteer cherry tomatoes coming up where they grew the previous year. The seeds endure freezing winter temperatures and otherwise harsh treatment to grow and prosper.
The rich young man probably enjoyed all that society had to offer, and sought to cap it by obtaining eternal life. How had he prepared? He tells Jesus that he had kept all the commandments. Commendable, Jesus said, but sell all that you have, and give to the poor. "Come, follow me." (Mt. 19:21b)
If the rich, who have seemingly been rewarded monetarily as a result of their righteousness, can't make it into heaven, who can be saved?
There are several instances in the New Testament records where disciples have their eyes and hopes set on the higher, more prominent places on the ladder of success.
Peter, who reminds Jesus of the sacrifices the disciples have made, giving up all to follow Him, questions the reward they shall have for this work. Kings and rulers typically reward their closest associates and supporters with well-placed positions and honor.
Honor and prestige is not to be the goal of working for God. That may come, Jesus said, but the least of these shall many times be first, and the sure-fire prize winner shall be the last. The humble, the ones willing to be a servant to all, and not the seekers for the grand and glorious, shall be most precious in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus follows by teaching the Parable of the Laborers in the vineyard (Mt. 20) and concludes by again sharing that the last shall be first; "Many are called, but few chosen."
Sometimes it is better to be a cherry tomato rather than a Big Boy.
July 9, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Rich or Poor?
* Scripture: Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . . Matthew 6:19-20a, NKJV.

Some of the most interesting words in the English language are spelled with only four letters. The words love and hate convey emotion. Rich and poor typically defines wealth or the absense thereof, but someone could also be in poor health, or rich in blessings.
What do you have? What do you need? If you could have anything you wish, what would you want? Now there are some four letter words to think about!
People who consider themselves to be rich in blessings are probably very much aware of what they have. Wealth and health are nice, but are they the ultimate blessings? Let's get down to the nitty-gritty about things we have, what we truly need, and stuff we want.
Consider the bottom line: Put to the test, what would you, what could you be willing to part with? I have read many commentaries about survivors of disasters stating that they have lost all wordly goods but rejoice that they still have their lives. Survivors count blessings!
Likewise, some who suffer a debilitating accident or illness live to the fullest of their ability. Some, but not all. Who among us are the survivors, and who will sink and go under? We truly do not know until put to the test.
Here are some tests you can try that may help you focus on what you have by giving up some physical attribute for a period of time.
Vision is a blessing, but not all are so endowed. Try doing familiar things with your eyes closed. Can you eat an entire meal, for example, without opening those eyes even once? Take a pair of old or cheap eyeglasses, and mark a black dot in the center of each lens to simulate macular degeneration. Some people have tunnel vision, so curl your fingers to your thumbs, and hold your hands in front of your face like a pair of binoculars. Caution: walking around during these simulations could be hazardous!
Walking. Oh, yes! Plan to spend some time in a wheelchair, using a walker or hobbling about on crutches.
Try doing the simplest of tasks - like buttoning a button or writing - without using your thumb, or while wearing mittens.
Get the picture? If you really, really had to, what could you part with and still be a blessing-counting survivor?
Do you count a loving relationship among your blessings? Someone with whom you can share your blessings, joys and sorrows? Unmeasurable riches!
Now think about the difference between things that you really, truly need, and stuff that you only wish you had!

Count your blessings,
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings,
See what God hath done. - Oatman
June 25, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Covetousness
* Scripture: Jesus said, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:21, NKJV

God was with Joseph. Even Pharaoh was convinced that there was no one else in the kingdom of Egypt more discerning and wise as Joseph, “a man in whom is the Spirit of God.” (Genesis 41:38)
Joseph was made ruler over all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. By his command, granaries were built throughout the land, and filled with much grain, “as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.” (Ge. 41:49)
Jesus told a parable of a man who did the very same thing; he built additional storage facilities to hold the grain his fields yielded in abundance. (Luke 12:16-18)
At this point, the stories diverge, however. Although both Joseph and the man in the parable stockpiled sufficient grain to last many years, God’s providence was intrinsic to the plans of Joseph and Pharaoh. God provided the dreams for Pharaoh, and the ability to interpret them in the person of Joseph. The storehouses in Egypt were for the benefit of the people, including Joseph’s own family, with whom he was reunited. When the time of famine came to all the land, the granaries were opened, that the people might have bread.
The “Rich Fool,” for as such is the parable known, had no plans for sharing with anyone, saying, “Soul . . . eat, drink, and be merry.”
Did Robert Southey have this parable in mind when he wrote “God’s Judgment On A Wicked Bishop?” I do not know, but there are certainly parallels. Both hoard their grain, to the exclusion of others, and both forfeit their soul because of it.
Bishop Hatto, like the Rich Fool, had a plentiful store of grain; his granaries were ‘furnished well’ with grain from the preceding year’s harvest. Not so the starving poor, for the weather had been so bad that there had been no harvest, and they were starving
In response to their clamoring, Bishop Hatto set a day, and bade them to come to his great barn, that “they should have food for the winter there.”
When the barn was full of women and children, and young and old, Bishop Hatto locked the doors, set fire to the barn and burned them all. His rationale?

“And the country is greatly obliged to me
For ridding it, in these times forlorn,
of rats that only consume the corn.”

This rather gruesome tale concludes with an army of rats devouring not only all of the grain he so covetously refused to share, but the Bishop himself! The closing line is this:
“For they were sent to do judgment on him.”

Covetousness has its reward, declared Jesus, in that he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God, loses both the store of ‘things,’ and the soul as well.
February 20, 2005

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Paying the Piper
* Scripture: Jesus said, “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:24, NKJV

I’ve seen a lot of changes in the field of electronics since I first became involved in it, and, as I was granted that opportunity, did what I could to advocate the utilization of television and computer technology in the field of education. I still try to keep up-to-date on the latest technology - and occasionally even buy some of it.
Perhaps I have fallen into some sort of time warp, though, because I revert often to an ancient form of data storage and retrieval - that is, I read books. Not the top of the current best sellers, either. I delve into the really old stuff. Like the Bible, for instance. And books that I have acquired over the years with publishing dates in the 19th and 20th centuries. Opening an old book is like opening a door and walking into a different world, a foreign world of words and ways long forgotten.
Quaint and curious though the words and customs may be, human nature remains rather constant over the ages. All of the vices and virtues of today’s lexicon are there; it is a story told over and over - as numerous as the souls who have traversed this mortal realm on their way to eternity.
We are all too familiar with examples of leaders in name only, those who utilize their power to enrich only their own coffers at the expense of the citizenry whom they govern.
Hamelin Town had such a problem.

“Our Mayor is a noddy,” cried the people,
“And as for our Corporation - shocking
to think we buy gowns lined with ermine
For dolts that can’t or won’t determine
What’s best to rid us of our vermin.”

The answer to their dilemma arrived without their summons, and asked for a sum of one thousand guilders to rid their town of - Rats!
‘”One? fifty thousand!” was the exclamation of the astonished Mayor and Corporation.’

And rid Hamelin Town of rats the Pied Piper did.

The Hamelin people rejoiced, “ringing the bells till they rocked the steeple.”
But - pay the Piper?

“A thousand guilders! The mayor looked blue;
So did the Corporation too.”

Avarice and greed were their downfall. Perhaps you know the rest of the story. The children of Hamelin Town danced through the streets to the Piper’s tune, entered the mountain portal, and were gone forever.

“Alas, alas for Hamelin!
There came into many a burgher’s pate
A text which says that heaven’s gate
Opes to the rich at as easy rate
As the needle’s eye takes a camel in!”
(Quotes from “The Pied Piper of Hamelin”, by Robert Browning)

One thousand years? Even two? No, little has changed since Jesus’ day, we just tell the same old story in a different way.
February 13, 2005

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: When the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he was very rich. Mt. 19:22 NIV
One of the hot top topics of debate right now is energy - both electrical and petroleum based energy. And the availability and cost of it! On the one hand is the desire to protect the environment, to keep our air and water clean and pure. To preserve our forests and natural wonders.
On the other hand, if no new sources of energy are developed, scarcities will certainly occur, and prices for energy will soar - even more! So what is the solution? Do we forbid construction of power plants because they create more pollution? Should we not only prohibit construction of new hydroelectric projects, but also dismantle existing hydroelectric dams because they have changed or destroyed the original habitats? Should we ignore the known extensive oil and coal reserves, because they underlie areas set aside as natural preserves?
Conservation is encouraged as one means of helping to use as little energy as possible. Yes, we should drive the most fuel efficient vehicles we possibly can, and buy appliances with an eye to energy conservation. That would help, but I doubt that conservation alone would make the kind of difference that would have a major impact on energy consumption. Any gains from efficiency will surely be offset by increased demand from a burgeoning population.
But the truth is, we - all of us - are not going to give up much of the convenience and ‘necessity’ that we have grown accustomed to. Frankly, it would be impossible to revert to a life style such as existed prior to the advent of electrical power.
Without question, transportation is one area where a significant difference could be made, both in the amount of fuel consumed, and pollution created. IF public transportation was readily available, and IF people relied on it extensively, and IF people lived within a reasonable distance from the work place, think what an impact that would have on fuel consumption!
I have seen societies that are like that, especially in some parts of Europe. The people rely on train, trolley, and bus systems. They also walk a lot. There are no suburbs, gobbling up the scarce countryside; people live in apartment buildings in the cities. You’re right! We haven’t done it that way in America. Everyone’s dream - a place with a lawn, home ownership, and a piece of the nation to call our own. So we fill our tanks, and hit the road. Should we change? Could we change? Likely only when there is absolutely no other choice.
Read Mt. 19:16-26
May 20, 2001