DYING to SELF is the SECRET of FRUITFULNESS!
November
2 Bible Reading: John Chapters 10-12
DYING to SELF is the SECRET of FRUITFULNESS
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a
grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it
dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who
hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John
12:24-25)
This is a
powerful illustration of Christian discipleship. A grain of wheat that is not
sown in the ground remains alone. This grain of wheat must die before it can
reproduce itself and be fruitful.
Christ used
this to illustrate His own death, which resulted in a rich spiritual harvest
after His death and resurrection. He referred to Himself as a grain (or kernel)
of wheat. If He did not die, He would abide alone. He would enjoy the glories
of heaven by Himself; there would be no saved sinners there to share His glory.
But if He died, He would provide a way of salvation by which many might be
saved.
The same
applies to us, as T. G. Ragland says: “If
we refuse to be corns of wheat—falling into the ground, and dying; if we will
neither sacrifice prospects, nor risk character, and property, and health; nor,
when we are called, relinquish home, and break family ties, for Christ’s sake;
then we shall abide alone. But if we wish to be fruitful, we must follow our
Blessed Lord Himself, by becoming a corn of wheat, and dying; then we shall
bring forth much fruit.”
Many people in
this world think that the important things in life are food, clothing, and
pleasure. They live for these things. But in thus loving their lives, they fail
to realize that the soul is more
important than the body. By neglecting their soul’s welfare, they lose
their lives. On the other hand, there are those who count all things loss for
Christ. To serve Him, they forego things highly prized among men. These are the
people who will keep their lives for eternal life. To hate one’s life means to love Christ more than one loves his own
interests!
Hating our lives
involve serving Christ. We must individually establish our own priorities. We
cannot give ourselves fully to this life and yet be committed to the life to
come. There are three things we can
learn from this illustration:
- We should be willing to die to ourselves and to the world in order to be fruitful.
- We should give more importance to the things of God than seeking our own pleasures.
- We should be willing to serve God and follow the direction that He shows in our lives.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matt 6:33)
