Kernels of Life
Harvest time has arrived in the South. Many are canning or freezing their crops - green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn. With any harvest, there are remnants, the unpicked produce left behind in the fields to decay.
Some of the yield will not be canned or frozen or eaten or left behind; rather, the kernels or seeds will be kept for another purpose. If, by chance, a kernel is swept away into a corner of the barn or placed on a windowsill forgotten, the kernel will stay as one grain serving no purpose … for a while. Eventually, it will rot and turn to dust.
However, if the kernel is preserved through the cold winter months and then placed into the fresh upturned earth and covered by its soil, another purpose will be fulfilled. There, in the darkness of the smothering agent, the kernel will welcome the sun's warmth and the earth's moisture, and with the passage of Spring, the kernel's outer shell will break, allowing a green sprout to break forth.
Death has given way to life.
Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24)
His message is two-fold. One, He was speaking about His upcoming crucifixion and resurrection, and two, He was speaking to us, His present-day followers, calling upon us to die to ourselves and live for Him.
Jesus went on to say in verse 25, "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
Do you wonder what this means exactly?
God is saying total surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ is crucial. Allow His will to be done in you. Break away from the intense love of oneself. Become broken.
Think of this principle as follows:
We would not have grape juice without the crushing of grapes.
We would not have bread without the crushing of grain.
We would not have an omelet without the breaking of an egg.
And, we will not have useful lives without the crushing of our self-will.
God's will is far better than your own will. He knows what's best for you.
Don't wait another moment. Trust Him. Surrender to Him.