Death and Life
Opening Prayer
Lord, today I want to have the faith to see You as You are, so I may praise You as I ought.
Read JOHN 12:20-26
[20]
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Meditate
“Therefore… he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God” (1 Pet. 4:1,2).
Think Further
If you were asked to define what it means to be a Christian, what would you say? You might describe our beliefs or explain our behavior. You might outline our creed and declare our commitments. In today’s passage Jesus says simply that, in essence, a Christian is someone who is united to him. The Christian life is our identification with Jesus in his death and resurrection. The illustration of the grain of wheat (24) expresses the heart of the gospel and the call to Christian discipleship.
How did God prosecute his purpose to overcome death, defeat sin, and draw men and women to himself from every tribe and tongue? It was through the weakness of the crucified Jesus. The seed had to die, yet Jesus knew there would be a fruitful outcome. “If it dies, it produces many seeds” (24). Anticipating that great harvest, Jesus willingly and joyfully submitted to God’s purpose.
That same paradox of the gospel is the paradox of Christian discipleship and of all Christian mission. As Jesus makes clear, holding on to your life—imagining that your own interests are more important than God’s—is a recipe for disaster, but to lay aside your own ambitions, to be so committed to God and his purposes that you sacrifice your own interests, is to find life (25). Paul came to realize that the same principle was at work in the cause of mission. Jesus’ journey to the cross is the clearest demonstration that God’s power is made perfect in weakness. If that is true of the master, it will be true of all those who are united to him. To follow him is certainly to embark on a journey of sacrifice, but it is the only way to ensure our lives have a truly fruitful outcome.
Apply
Are there areas of your life which need to be put to death for Christ’s sake? Ask for grace to do this.
Closing prayer
Patient Father, I am not what I was, nor am I as I ought to be. Continue to work with me, that I may become what You want me to be.
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