John 12:24-26 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. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
The world has trained us to fear death. Before coming to know the Lord, it truly was scary to think about death and dying. However, as born again followers of Jesus, we need not fear death, because in Jesus we have victory over death and the grave. As a matter of fact, in order for us to fully enjoy our life here on earth, we must die. Yes, I said, we must die. We must die to ourselves, to our selfish desires, and to the ways of the world. Jesus used the example of the grain of wheat to illustrate that life comes as a result of death. Unless a grain or seed dies, it will produce no fruit whatsoever. Had Jesus not died for us, we would not enjoy the fruit of His great sacrifice, life eternal. Now, as His servants, if we are going to live fruitful lives, we must die. If we choose to live for ourselves, and always put ourselves first, chasing after the things the world tells us will bring us happiness and success, we will certainly end up grieving and hindering the Spirit from producing fruit in our lives. Jesus tells us that if we want to be His disciples, we must take up our cross daily, and follow Him. We must purposely choose to crucify our flesh and its desires, in order to become the living sacrifices that God can effectively use to reach others for Christ. At the end of it all, we can take nothing that this world has to offer with us when we die. We can, however, begin now to gather heavenly rewards that will await us, and will be ours for eternity. Rather than count what earthly things we will lose, let us count what we will gain, in Christ, if we choose to die daily; because in reality, it is the only way we will truly live. Let us not just be alive in Jesus; instead, let us live abundantly for Jesus.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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