Planted Into the Ground

Prayer – Lord, plants grow…and so do people. As we “mature” physically and spiritual, please give us wisdom to understand the new realm that we will one day be a part of—Your heavenly spiritual world.

It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man. 1 Corinthians 15:42-49

 

Meditate. Planting in the ground.

 

Are you just an earthly body? Can you envision your spiritual body?

 

I grew up watching plants grow in the fields on our farm…and those near my home. I just took it for granted that plants grow. The fields are plowed, seeds planted and watered…and they grow and are harvested. Just part of life. People are pretty much the same. Babies, like little plants, get bigger. Before we know it…toddlers turn into big kids running, riding bikes, and then driving cars. That’s physical growth…how about spiritual growth? Spiritual growth has to be much more intentional. It begins with a choice to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, the spiritual creator and leader of all mankind.

 

Jesus began with a natural body…as a baby born in Bethlehem. When He was baptized His spiritual life began…and God the Father was well pleased with Him (Matthew 3:17). Do you see any difference in Christ, before His death and after His resurrection? Even prophesy describes the way He would look after His crucifixion. Study those portions of scripture for yourself and discover a truth that you hadn’t noticed before.

And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Luke 9:29 (At His Transformation)

 

But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. Isaiah 52:14

 

She (Mary Magdalene) turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. John 20:14

Bread and Fish
Jesus fed 5,000 men and their families.
A Miracle!

He must have just been an ordinary looking guy—nothing noteworthy in His appearance until He went through the transfiguration. After the beatings right before His crucifixion, His face was not recognizable. Then immediately after His resurrection, again He was not recognized. When He appeared to the Disciples in the Upper Room that evening after His disciples knew Him—so we can assume that His face looked like His pre-cross face. Good looks are valued in our society today—but there are few really perfect faces—why would Jesus have one. People are drawn to charismatic, charming and good-looking people. People were drawn to Jesus because He was a teacher, healer, and provided food for the masses. After He was resurrected, He appeared to more than 500 people at one time—but He drew much larger crowds when He miraculously fed the 5,000 men and their families, with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. No matter how He looks, physically, His spiritual being is life-giving and that spiritual dimension is the feature that His faithful followers will one day also embody. Raised from mortal to immortal spiritual being. Buried in a weak form…and raised in an everlasting form of glorious strength.

 

He was not weak…but we are weak in these earthly bodies. When we will be raised, we will be strong.

Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do. Psalm 73:25-28

There’s the quintessential component of our relationship with Jesus. Telling others. That is God’s purpose for us. Planting seeds in others as we share the love and truth of the Lord.

So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, either, even though I'm in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:8-9

 

Verse of Salvation ~ For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

 

© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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