Life of a Seed by Stephen Davey

Life of a Seed
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. John 12:24-26 On January 12, 1722, Jonathan Edwards, whose sermons sparked the first Great Awakening, wrote this prayer of consecration in his diary: I have been before God, and have given myself, all that I am and have, to God; so that I am not, in any respect, my own… neither have I any right to this body or any of its members—no right to this tongue, these hands, these feet; no right to these senses, these eyes, these ears, this smell, or this taste. I have given myself clear away and have not retained anything as my own. Christianity isn’t a giant marketing strategy. It’s not an infomercial promising heaven, and only when you accept the product do you find out about all the fine print. Jesus’ message is clear from the start: “take up your cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). It amazes me how God, in the very fabric of creation, has given us a vivid picture of this paradox. Through the life and death of a seed, we clearly see what God is doing in our own lives.  The sting of the earth. The dark. The lonely nights. The growing pains. All of these are necessary for a seed to burst into roots and limbs, and for those limbs to produce fruit.  Maybe right now you are in the process of questioning God. Perhaps, you have written a subtle message across your heart that reads, “Don’t bury me, God! I’ll be happy to bear fruit for you above ground where it’s nice and warm; just don’t make me sacrifice all my comforts!”   God used George Mueller, a noteworthy missionary in England, to found many orphanages. On one occasion, he was asked about the secret to his budding ministry, and he humbly responded:  There was a day when I died—died to George Mueller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame of my friends; and since then, I have studied only to show myself approved unto God. Can you say those words as well? Have you given your dreams and talents and possessions over to God, or are you holding something back?  God, the true and good Gardener, is the only One who can make something eternally valuable out of you. He knows where to plant you and how deep to bury you and when to water you. You’ll never be lost in His garden.  Look at His promise at the end of verse 24: “if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”  Honor is the greatest of all rewards because it must be earned. Soldiers don’t get honor from their battalion just by showing up. Mothers don’t get honor from their children just by giving birth.  Kings don’t get honor from their countrymen just by wearing the crown.  Honor is won through the severity of sacrifice.   So today, let go of your inhibitions and rationalizations, and surrender everything to God, allowing Him to make of you what He wills.