A Harvest Guaranteed
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself 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 shall keep it to life eternal. . . . And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” John 12:24f
This is how Jesus described his own death and resurrection: He uses a law of nature to explain His strategy to us for our involvement. Seeds cannot reproduce without giving up their own existence but in their death lies a harvest. Jesus sowed his life so that the father could reap a harvest of many.
God would not call us to a life of sowing and reaping if He was not willing to sow himself. Jesus is the prophesied seed of God that Genesis 3 predicted would “bruise Satan’s head”. But we are now some of the promised seed of Abraham which Gen. 22 says “shall posses the gate of our enemies!” We are some of the harvest and seed of God that have sprung up out of the death of Jesus. The process of sowing and reaping, dying and new life goes on; a chain reaction started by the willing death of Jesus.
If we hang on to our life we will loose it, but if we give it up, we will find unlimited life. We do not usually die a physical death but God will still bring our natural man to death. Our outer man must be broken so that the new life of God inside can come alive. If we are not broken, and if we hang on to our self-life we remain useless to God.
In the Kingdom we win by loosing! Kingdom principles are very opposite to what natural man would expect. We gain by loosing our life. Fruitfulness arises out of death. We embrace death, receive the life of God and then release that life to others. Like the alabaster box that had to be broken to release the sweet perfume. It is only through our brokenness that God can release his spirit through us.
Will you follow Jesus into the same process of dying and multiplication? Psalms 126:5 says “Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Let’s participate in the end times harvest by giving our lives like Jesus did!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for sowing your life to secure a harvest on earth that includes me! Father, forgive me for being so protective of the life you gave me. I want to participate in your law of sowing and reaping and gladly give my life to you to use in releasing life to others. I want my selfish natural man to be broken so your life can flow through me to others. Let the harvest be multiplied through me!
