A genetically programmed death - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again.
2 Samuel 14:14

A genetically programmed death
Bamboo grows faster than any other plant. But it has a mysterious peculiarity: depending on the species, it blooms every 80 to 140 years – and then dies.

In 1910, botanist Ernest Henry Wilson (1876–1930) discovered a new species of bamboo in China. He dug up a shoot and took it with him to England. Since this species did not produce undesirable runners, it became a popular ornamental plant in English gardens. For decades, it grew inconspicuously until the moment of truth arrived for all 30 million offspring produced by division from the original shoot, between autumn 1995 and summer 1996: they bloomed briefly and then withered away – and could not be saved by watering, fertilising, or pruning. They had exhausted themselves and died a genetically programmed death. To this day, it is not known where in the plant’s genome this clock ticks.

Humans research the genetic code of bamboo. For mankind, God Himself has shared the “solution”. The Lord Jesus Christ says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25). Only Jesus saves from eternal death, only He gives people hope and eternal life!

Today’s reading: Exodus 38:9-31 · Luke 18:1-8