Bible Verse of the Day Wednesday January 4th, 2023

John 12:24-25 Very truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Therefore, anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

The words "Very truly" begin a passionate declaration by Christ Jesus and what He was saying now was of uppermost significance. It was time to focus on what Jesus was about to declare. There is a prerequisite for harvesting grain seeds; the seed must die to yield a harvest; the reference here was to Jesus' death on the Cross. A seed cannot reproduce unless it dies. So, Jesus had to die to save the souls of those who placed their faith and trust in Him. In parallel with the seeds of grain, so goes the life of human beings. We have two choices with our earthly lives; there is no third, fourth or fifth thing; it all boils down to one or the other. We can live our lives for ourselves, seeking after worldly or material pleasures, or we can live our lives for Christ, serving God and others.

We will lose our lives if we live selfishly for sensual pleasure. If we decide to consume our lives now, spending it on ourselves, our lives will be lost. It comes to an end as certainly as the seed that is sown on rocky ground. However, if we devote our lives to other uses other than our gratification, it might seem we are losing our lives, and, in this world, we will lay down our earthly lives. However, the good seed we planted will lead people to Jesus, the only hope for eternal life.  

John calls on all children of God to hate their lives, not in the sense that we should disregard it, but freely offer it to God. Our lives are precious gifts given to us by God, and we can freely offer them to Jesus as a love offering. Since we are not of this world, only pilgrims passing through, and our home is with God, we should sacrifice our lives to God's desire to see everyone come to the saving grace of Jesus.

A seed not planted in the ground will fail to produce fruit; from an eternal standpoint, death is the engine that propels human beings to life. That same all-embracing tenet holds for every believer in Christ Jesus. Christians who spend their lives on eternal values will enjoy a productive and fruitful time here on this earth. We recognize when we are wasting our valuable time when we understand that Jesus' death on the Cross and His resurrection are interconnected.

Jesus proclaimed another essential revelation with His distinguishing opening clause. He portrayed His body as a seed of wheat that gets planted in the ground. By sacrificing His Life on Calvary, He would produce a great harvest. Without Calvary, there would be no free grace, and we would have to work our way to heaven. The major problem with that scenario is we could never live a life good enough to please God. Furthermore, we have nothing that God needs or wants to offer in place of our sinful life.

The illustration also implies the humility of Jesus' death; Jesus' sacrificial death would result in eternal life for many other people. Down through the years, it is true that the blood of Christian martyrs has undeniably been the seed by which the church grows and matures. When these brave men and women have selflessly laid down their lives, many others have come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Anyone with a love of Jesus living in their hearts and souls will discover that any sacrifice for Jesus will bring blessings far outweighing the sacrifice.