Dying to Live or Living to Die?

As Jesus traveled toward Jerusalem for his last Passover he knew He would die within a few days. He also knew death was the beginning, not the end. He would rise from the dead and bring many with Him. As He thought about this He made an observation which is for us as much as for himself, "unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies it bears much fruit."

Now, even those of us who never sowed a field know the purpose of seeds. A grain of wheat is either for eating or for growing more wheat. It can be stored or traded, but unless it is eventually eaten or buried it might as well be a stone? We easily acknowlege the truth of this factoid, but why did He make this observation?

His following statement made the connection, "He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. If any one serves Me, let him follow Me..." This is the non-intuitive insight; in order to live we must die. The seed that falls and is buried lives and produces more fruit. The seed that stays a seed becomes a lifeless nothing. It is one thing to hear and agree with a simple statement like this. It is a completely different thing to believe and walk your life accordingly.

Listen, if I am a seed expecting to be planted does it make sense to spend great time, effort and money fixing up the seed storage box. Do I need to worry about violently guarding my tools and toys or protecting my person? Jesus could easily have sidestepped his killers. He did not. His ministry was just getting started. We would think it should have been protected and allowed to flourish. He did not protect it. He came to do only what the Father had sent Him to do. When it was time to lay down His life He laid it down with the full confidence that death is not the end. He proved His confidence was not an empty conviction, but a powerful life-changing reality.

He promised that if we believe Him, then even though we die, yet shall we live. We honor our God and Father most when we are willing to walk the tough road and prove we really believe He is our Redeemer. We deny Him when we choose to dodge the dangerous tasks and try to be our own protector and redeemer. By this we become seeds of death and not of life.

So, are you ready to die ... that you might live and in living bring forth much fruit for His glory?

- Paul and Beth