What a morbid thought for a Wednesday morning. Die.

Why should death matter while we’re alive?

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.

John 12:24 (ESV)

Do you ever wonder why Christians have such a hard time bearing fruit (fruit being the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – Galatians 5:22-23)? Perhaps it is because we haven’t died yet.

Further on in John 12, we see that there were leaders in the synagogue who believed in Jesus as the Son of God yet failed to make it known.

For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

John 12:43 (ESV)

When we love the glory of God more than the glory of man, we die to self and live for Christ.  Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “To me the only important thing about living is Christ…” (NCV) It is only when we view our role in the Kingdom of God as greater than our role on earth that we become spiritually fruitful.

We need to die to truly live.

Daily Bible reading: 2 Chronicles 4-6; John 12:20-50