When Jesus said that corn grows, 'all by itself', He meant that the farmer cannot add anything to the growing process because the life is in the seed.  Yes, the soil can be prepared well and nutriments added, but the way in which the seed's DNA expresses itself in roots and shoots, until the plant is fully formed and fruitful, is a function of the seed and not the sower.

Most of us are disappointed by the rate of our spiritual progress, or the progress of others.  And just when we think we are doing brilliantly, we might be slipping backwards!  But as we submit ourselves to the Word of God, bit by bit we find that the life of God is growing within us (1 Peter 2:2).  Although conversion may be a significant event which we can look back to, a lot of the staging posts on the journey are unremarkable.  Nevertheless, growth occurs.  Often, we may not notice until someone points out how much we have changed.  Occasionally we may have one of those 'reality moments' when it hits us how much God has changed us, say, compared with last year.

There is an ordered logic in which plants grow.  Roots are produced first and then shoots.  God knows what He is doing. Without water the plant will shrivel.  With water coursing through the roots, the shoot can be sustained until photosynthesis starts.  All the apparently automated processes of plant development have been designed by the Lord in His creation plan.  It is all done to achieve the end point of a harvest.  That is an allegory for either calling people to repentance (Luke 10:2), or for gathering the whole church at the end of time (Matthew 13:37-39).  In both situations God's truth has been received, believed and obeyed – and God's kingdom is being built by Him (Matthew 16:18).

When God grows His life within us, He is not just looking for us to have more knowledge of Him and better habits - He is also looking for us to be able to shed more seed into what may seem like a barren landscape.  The final harvest will come when Jesus returns and all those who belong to Him will be gathered as His very own. All the others will find their destiny described in Matthew 13:38-40.  A sobering thought, when one thinks about nice respectable colleagues and pleasant friends but all outside of Christ.  That is why we need to sow God's truth into their lives.