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Teaching from Nature
155
His word. And nature does the bidding of the Creator. To the heart
softened by the grace of God, the sun, the moon, the stars, the lofty
trees, the flowers of the field, utter their words of counsel and advice.
The sowing of the seed carries the mind to spiritual seed sowing.
The tree stands forth declaring that a good tree cannot bear evil fruit,
neither can an evil tree bear good fruit. “Ye shall know them by their
fruits.”
Matthew 7:16
. Even the tares have a lesson to teach. They
are of Satan’s sowing, and if left unchecked, will spoil the wheat by
their rank growth.
When man is reconciled to God, the things of nature speak to
him in words of heavenly wisdom, bearing testimony to the eternal
truth of God’s word. As Christ tells us the meaning of the things
in nature, the science of true religion flashes forth, explaining the
relation of the law of God to the natural and the spiritual world.
* * * * *
The swallow and the crane observe the changes of the seasons.
They migrate from one country to another to find a climate suitable
to their convenience and happiness, as the Lord designed they should.
They are obedient to the laws which govern their life. But the beings
formed in the image of God fail to honor Him by obeying the laws
of nature. By disregarding the laws that govern the human organism,
they disqualify themselves for serving God. He sends them warnings
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to beware how they break His law in breaking the laws of life; but
habit is strong, and they will not heed. The days are filled with pain
of body and disquietude of mind because they are determined to
follow wrong habits and practices. They will not reason from cause
to effect, and they sacrifice health, peace, and happiness to their
ignorance and selfishness.
The wise man addresses the indolent in the words: “Go to the
ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having
no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and
gathereth her food in the harvest.”
Proverbs 6:6-8
. The habitations
that the ants build for themselves show skill and perseverance. Only
one little grain at a time can they handle, but by diligence and
perseverance they accomplish wonders.