Revive Israel
Yad Hashmonah, Israel

“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.” (John 12:24 NIV)
Today’s world tells us to emphasize and empower ourselves, to advertise how beautiful our lives are, to shout out on social media how talented we are: “It’s all about me.”
Many times I have found myself trying with my own willpower and talent, to empower myself and get ahead. But in God’s “economy” the equation is different. We are called to lose ourselves for His sake, and NOT to think we have something to offer in and of ourselves. The uniqueness and potential in us are from God.
If the grain doesn’t die, it stays alone. A person who loves himself too much is not someone we would want to “rub off” on us. He remains a sterile, lonely kernel of grain.
Each of us is a “kernel” with tremendous potential from God! As we become fully given over to God, as we submit our desires, ambitions and lives to God; then His “DNA” comes forth and grows. And we join the family of everyone who is doing likewise.
The grain sown into the ground gives up its “original” shape and grows into something else. Maybe God will fulfill His promises in a new way that we couldn’t think of on our own? Maybe there is even more of God in there than we think?
It also brings us back to trust in the basic fact that God is good; and if we give ourselves to God, He will do far more good in us and through us, than we could do on our own with our own abilities or talents.
Don’t worry, Yeshua delights in us. He is not exasperated with us. He is interceding on our behalf, and every time we surrender to him he is happy, excited and satisfied. He is like the farmer who goes out every day to see how His seedlings are developing and if new leaves have sprouted. Every time the plant grows and fruit comes forth, He is elated.
God invites us to die to ourselves, so He can faithfully nurture the full divine potential he placed in our hearts as we produce much fruit.