Saturday Reading: John 12:24-26
Key Verse: John 12:26
26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there also My servant shall be. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honour him.
Devotion:
If Jesus had not died we would still be in trouble! Just as there is death in nature so that life may come out of it, we too have to die so that we may obtain eternal life with Christ. Christ explains this here by saying that the only way that He would be glorified is by Him having to first give His life up. This does not mean that we should all go out and give up our lives because Christ also showed us that we have to work in God’s will and that He is the one that has appointed our time to die and not us. Jesus went out and ministered to many people before He came back to lay His life down; He first had to go out and do His Father’s will...
Most seeds will start to germinate as soon as they are put in the ground and that is why Jesus describes His word as being a seed because it stays there under ground until it comes up and flourishes. The wheat seed is different in that it must first die and then it grows; that is why He used this description here to describe His and therefore our own lives. The plant that is produced by a seed is far in excess of the size of the seed and is a marvel to watch.
Each one of us has a marvellous eternal life to look forward to when we believe and trust in Christ. Each one of our lives when we believe God’s word changes and grows into something that is quite different to our lives we had before we knew Christ. But in order to do that growing we have to submit to His will and His word just as a servant will do what his master requires. As God’s servants we will then be used to do wonderful things that He can be proud of, that will glorify Him and that will allow others to see what a glorious Father we have in heaven! He is the one that has supplied the field for us to grow in. He is the one that has supplied the earth and water. We are that seed that must give up our earthly lives and grow up in a new life with Him, much more and much better than before.
Points to Ponder:
Do you like watching flowers spring up in spring and summer?
Are you submitting to God’s garden?
