A prime example of this parable in action is the rich young ruler. He came to Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. He was very rich and the desire for wealth and worldly things trumped his desire to follow Jesus. Having wealth and possessions is not wrong. And it appears that this man had a desire for God and sought out Jesus knowing life was in Him.
His own words testified that He had made an effort to keep all of the commandments since he was young. Seeds had been planted ; however, when it came down to it, the desire for wealth and the cares of this life, choked the seeds, making them unfruitful. In the parable of the growing seed Mark , we see that the soil activates the seeds vs. The soil will not only cause good seeds to germinate, it will cause bad seeds to germinate.
Whatever you focus your attention on grows. Your heart brings forth fruit of itself Proverbs KJV. So careful attention must be given to the seeds you want growing in your life. Modern day life is full of distractions. Busyness is a terrible enemy! The world around us has changed from the time of the Garden of Eden and post-Flood. And then several unique conditions were at work after the Flood. These major changes were probably not complete at the end of the Flood but continued into the post-Flood world, perhaps for centuries.
One problem was the instability of the continents, and another problem was the unstable climate. The post-Flood oceans were exceptionally warm and probably generated massive hurricanes which could have produced incredible erosion in the post-Flood world, where little vegetation was established to hold the soil, and where the Flood sediments had not yet fully hardened.
God designed the created kinds with genetic information that could be turned on when required to adapt to new environments. Each cell expresses, or turns on, only a fraction of its genes. The rest of the genes are repressed, or turned off. The process of turning genes on and off is known as gene regulation.
Differences in gene expression rather than gene structure may be primarily responsible for successful plant adaptation. With successful random changes, an organism is better enabled to pass on this more successful genetic material, which improves the viability of its offspring and increases the presence of these successful genes in the gene pool overall.
The changes do not add information; they alter genetic information. In other words, the Creator continues to accomplish His purpose for organisms after creation, not by creating new kinds, but by working through existing components that were designed during Creation Week 4 or by changes that have taken place since the Fall. We are familiar with the plight of animals and man, but what about plants, which provide the oxygen we breathe and much of what we eat?
The following examines plant defense mechanisms in more detail to improve our understanding of the fallen world 1 in which we currently exist and how to understand the weeds and thorns that come into both our spiritual and physical lives. Plants have the same defense mechanisms as animals. Animals have sharp spines fish fins, snapper turtle shells, alligator tails, spiny lizards, starfish , horns and antlers many hoofed animals , sharp teeth carnivores, snakes, fish , sharp quills porcupines, hedgehogs, sea urchins , and claws to defend themselves.
No, plants have defense mechanisms against animals who want to eat them herbivores. Plant physical defense mechanisms include thorns, spines, prickles, tough tissues, sticky resins, milky sap, and short bristly hairs. In addition, plants have developed chemical defenses to avoid being eaten and to deter other plants from invading their growing area.
Figure 1. Diagram of a true plant thorn. Drawing adapted by Ginger Allen. Botanically speaking: thorns figure 1, example hawthorn are modified, sharp-pointed stems occurring at the base of a leaf or ends of twigs. Spines example Barberry, cacti are modified leaves or parts of leaves and are generally thinner and shorter than thorns. Prickles example rose stem are slender outgrowths of the plant outer layer epidermis. Plant thorns were brought into the world after man sinned see Scripture above.
Therefore we will be discussing this group of prickly plants as a general category that encompasses not just the strict thorns in the botanical sense, but also prickles, spines, thistles, nettles, thornbushes and briers. Thorns were a physical change that was passed along to new generations. There had to be genetic alterations. Some of these changes could have been immediate, and others could have been slower in revealing themselves.
When plants or animals live in stressful environments such as extreme wind, cold, heat, or dryness; low nutrients; acidic soils; etc.
Cacti can survive in the desert by having reduced leaves, and short or absent branches. Many desert plants have developed spines instead of leaves. Growing spines instead of leaves allows the plant to survive with less water and keeps animals from nibbling the water-filled plant tissues and luscious fruits. Figure 2. The majority of palms have unbranched stems, and are really more like giant grasses, in growth form, than trees. Many palm stems are armed with stout spines or prickles.
The sharp spines of certain palms Maximiliana maripa were used for poison darts by some of the South American tribes. The palm tree of the Bible is likely the date palm Phoenix dactylifera, figure 2 , which is still found in large numbers throughout Syria. Then, I cooked them with a little olive oil. The flavor resembled mild broccoli. They are a good diet food because they take so much energy to prepare! Like so many wild foods, their desirability is in their wild origin more than in any outstanding flavor.
By mid-May, the akoub stem has separated from the root, allowing the entire plant to be carried by the wind. Near Makawir, the location of Herod's palace on the east of the Jordan and the likely site of the decapitation of John the Baptist , akoub is common. I found the plants stuck in shrubs and in fences, carried there by the wind. Examination of the flowering heads Figure 13 showed that many of the "seeds" technically fruits were missing.
As the thistle tumbles over the open ground, the fruits fall out. Akoub's dispersal takes place at about the same time as wheat harvest as indicated by the prophet Isaiah 14 --"driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed galgal before a gale". The fruits are edible. Like the rest of the plant, they are well endowed with armor. Cracking them open is a chore but the flavor is good, rather like that of its distant relative, sunflower.
Thistles deserve attention--positive attention! Not only are they often beautiful, they are a source of food and were known by the ancients. Plants like akoub show the manifold wisdom of a Creator Who provides food for His creation as well as a fascinating means of diaspore. Thistles Thistles-Get the Point? Plants Images. And thank you for your son, Jesus. By: Min April Carter. Home About Us. Weekly Devotionals Words of Faith from our Ministers.
Seeds Vs Thorns.
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