"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." John 12:24. NKJV
Here, Jesus was redefining His impending death. He had to die to fulfil His Father's plan. Once He had, He would produce much more grain - or fruit. It's the same for you and I. To bear the fruit that Jesus expects from each of us - our potential, we have to die - die to self. This requires leaving behind all of our bad habits and often our possessions and living fully for Jesus.
Martin Luther was reported as saying to a visitor who had called asking for him, 'Martin Luther has died, Jesus Christ lives here now.' Not many of us would explain things that way but Martin Luther was unique. He lived totally for Jesus, in fact, he was sold out for Jesus, and was willing to let the world know this fact.
Dying to self means just that. 'Self' has reigned in our lives for too long and we need to nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand. When we live a selfish life, no one else gets a look in, we are totally self-centred and focused on what we want, not what others need from us. But how do we die to self, satisfactorily? Well, it takes strict discipline on our part and we'll probably fail many times in the process of this transformation. Bob Gass suggests that we, 'Find a cause bigger than yourself and give your life to it. Do something that's not for you and watch what happens.' Now that is wise counsel and it works; however, it costs us and it takes all we've got.
A dead body no longer responds to whatever we do or say. A pin could be pricked into the body but there would be no response. This is because, it is dead to reaction. When you are living this way, people can say or do whatever they wish but you, will not react in the way you may have done before the transformation.
Making Jesus the most important part of your life and living in His Word, will change your thinking and the way you react to any given situation. You are dying to self and living for Jesus. However, it is not as easy as it sounds. It takes great commitment to be able to live this way. When we take on the non-reactionary ways, together with the No Attack - No Defence principle, we are headed for victory, but don't forget, still open for attack. The devil does not like you and he'll like you all the less for the changes you have made. It means, he'll have to change his tactics and try harder, so make sure your armour is on before you go into battle. Remember, you're not only a winner but you're a new creation too. (Galatians 2:20)
Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard
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