Another parable put He forth before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven
is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown it is the greatest among herbs and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and
lodge in the branches thereof,” (Matthew 13:31-33 KJV).
The Kingdom of Heaven is beautiful because her king is good and kind. Our God is quick to forgive. He is a loving father who welcomes us with open arms when we come to him. He is a mother hen who gathers her people under the shelter of her wings. Not only do we trust in the omniscient and omnipotent goodness of our Lord, but we also rejoice in his victory. We know that that the meek shall inherit the earth. We know that his will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We know that “he will cause justice to be victorious.And his name will be the hope of all the world,” (Matthew 12:19-21 NLT).
I collect flower seeds, especially zinnias. For the last 3 years, I note which of my zinnias have the biggest and prettiest flowers (I prefer soft gold, deep orange, pink, and violet), I wait till the flower heads are fully dead and dry, then I gather them to save for the following spring. From fifty or so flowers that I save, I have hundreds if not thousands of seeds. There are zinnias everywhere in my garden: among my vegetables, at my entrance, in pots, in any empty corner. The zinnias have also invaded my daughters’ gardens and some of my friends. In this abundance I remember Jesus’ parable: “the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest,” (Luke 8:15 NLT). What is our harvest? Souls for Christ and the spreading of the Kingdom of Heaven. Some of my zinnias produce bad seed. Nothing sprouts from them. Only the good seed multiply and spread in God’s kingdom.
The kingdom of heaven is organic, natural, it grows slowly and steadily. If the tree produce a wild branch that is not true to its origin, it is chopped off and burned. The Lord created this whole earth. He reveals himself in nature. Our love of creation is also a love of the creator. In The Book of Revelations, The 24 Elders in heaven who sit on their thrones before God say:
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
the One who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to reign.
The nations were angry,
and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your people who revere your name,
both great and small—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth,” (Revelations 11:17-19).
The earth is the Lords’. Woe to those who destroy her!
His followers are also promised a new heaven and a new earth. Everything will be renewed. Paradise will be restored. All of God’s creation and creatures will once again live in harmony. Pollution, greed, cruelty will be none existent.
So what is the problem? Why do people rebel against Eden?
We rebel against having a Lord & King. We want to be God of our own lives. We do not like seeing ourselves as sinners in need of a savior. We justify our sin and think it part of our personality. When actually sin separates us from God and enslaves us. We are so sick with sin that we need a holy, perfect, and just man to die for our redemption.
We are also products of our culture. We live comfortable lives in an entertainment soaked world. It is easier to go along with the flow. We choose “free love.” We choose relative morality; we choose “to spend my time having fun because I felt that there was nothing better in all the earth than that a man should eat, drink, and be merry, with the hope that this happiness would stick with him in all the hard work that God gives to mankind everywhere,” (Ecclesiastes 8”14-16 NLT).
However Jesus says “Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. But the Gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it,” (Matthew 7:12-14).
Seek and find the small Gateway. Seek and find the Gateway to heaven. Taste the fruit from the Tree of Life and see that the Lord is good. Read the Book of Matthew for yourselves. Then read the Book of Acts which records the deeds of the early church. Find a Godly Christian and ask your questions. Or find a church which is vibrant and filled with friendly people. Enter the community of faith and follow Jesus. The church is filled with sin sick people who have asked the Lord to cleanse them from all sin and to clothe them with the righteousness that only comes from a Holy God.
