Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 4-6; John 12:20-50
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24 (KJV)
In the gospel of Christ, seeds are very important as it illustrates God’s word and life itself. In the process of seed planting, a seed must die in order for life to come out it. As it dies, it transforms into roots that go deep into the ground, and stems that make their way out of the ground into the air in order to grow and blossom. If you dig up a plant after it has blossomed you would not find the seed but only the product of the dead seed. This means the real seed has died. Thereafter the plant begins to produce multiple fruits.
From our text, Jesus uses the example of a wheat seed in responding to His disciples how that He must die. A wheat seed by itself is just one seed. However, this same seed planted in the ground dies to itself and becomes something much greater. Jesus says the time for His glorification has come. ”And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified” John 12:23 (KJV). How He will die and through his death there will come an abundance of fruit (i.e. more disciples). Today we have the evidence of His death in the multitude of believers in Christ across the whole world. Because Jesus died for you, for me and the whole world.
Jesus’ offering of Himself saved us and gave us eternal life. We are the fruit of Jesus’ offering of himself as a seed and dying to save us. He is the seed that brought forth much fruit and restored the relationship between God and humanity. Furthermore, his death brought forth a new community of God’s people. A Community of people that will follow Christ’s examples and serve God willingly, by offering of themselves to God. People willing to die to their own desires/needs, and live to serve God’s interest on earth. This is a community of believer which we are part of. We are the chosen ones as Christ followers, dying to our own desires and needs in order to reach out to others with the love of Christ for their salvation. We are the ones called to live for God and to serve others in order to bear fruit in God’s kingdom with an open ended blessings from God. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” –John 15:16
Our fruits are the people we prayerfully and consciously speak to about the gospel of Christ and the love of God leading to their repentance and salvation of their soul from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God. In God’s kingdom there is always room for more, so that all men should be saved and drafted to God’s kingdom. “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1Timothy 2:4 (KJV)
Prayer: Father, endue me with the grace to mortify my desires and needs to serve the interest of your Kingdom in Jesus Name.
Pastor Alfred Samuel