"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me" (John 12:24-26).
This is the passage I taught from when I spoke to the ladies at New Friendship Baptist church in Cleveland. I am so thankful that they were an amazing group of women who were mission minded. They were those rare women who desire Christ with their all. I was so blessed to be there to share what God has been speaking to me specifically. In my life right now it is specifically regarding relocating my family for the sake of the good news of Christ. However, dying can mean many different things to many different people. All used for His glory. We are never forced to lay our lives down but those who know they are loved respond in love and chose to freely.
We must count the cost of what it means to be a disciple and must determine He is worth it.
Jesus tells us that "If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me (Luke 9:23, CEV).
How this looks for each of us will be very different.
Maybe it is:
- Forgiving when it is not deserved.
- Doing what others want when you desire something different.
- Raising a special needs child.
- Loving the unlovable.
- Caring for aging parents.
- Living with chronic illness or depression but getting up anyway.
- Going on the mission field, giving up everything even your literal life.
- Forgetting self, becoming self-less.
These are just some examples of the crosses we pick up and they are nothing like Jesus's ultimate cross. Yet because of His amazing, non-stop, rescuing love for us He, "Because of the joy awaiting him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne" (Hebrews 12:2).
How do we live a life like this? Is it by trying harder? Not particularly though we do have some part in choosing to die to self yet the Holy Spirit is the one who changes us more and more into His image.
2 Corinthians 3:16 says it this way, "We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne."
As we behold Him, as we keep our eyes fixed on Him, the Spirit changes us little by little in His perfect timing. And that makes it worth it. Because He came He has made us perfect in the eyes of the Father, when we trust His finished work on our behalf on the cross, as we are being perfected. It is a beautiful thing. A glorious mystery that makes anything worth His supreme glory. Anything.
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