I am a gardener; or at least I like to think that I am. Truth be told, I still have a lot to learn about planting and harvesting. In my attempt to be a more successful gardener, I have recently taken a closer look at seeds. I have learned some plant seeds are on the outside of the plant, and some deep inside. Some can reseed themselves easily, and some need to be harvested, cooled, and intentionally reseeded. Some seeds get planted deep in the ground in Fall, and some shallow when the temperature is warmer. Seed particulars can go on and on and on. However one characteristic all plants have in common is that without seeds, plant life wouldn’t exist. The seed holds the key to life, and the plant has to give up its seed to acquire new life.
As Jesus was preparing His followers for His imminent death and trying to leave them with an understanding of its significance, He drew on the fact that His disciples understood that to bring new life, the wheat plant has to die and give up its seed. Jesus also made clear to them that just like the wheat plant, He would give up His life. Jesus said, all that want eternal life through Christ would have to surrender theirs. They would have to make a choice.
Hearing these words must have felt overwhelming to the first disciples especially prior to Jesus’s death, resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit. But we now have a deeper understanding of what Jesus was saying. Yet it is still a difficult choice for people today. What is it that stands in our way to giving our life completely over to God? What can we do to remove these barriers? Naming barriers and removing them are a good first step.
This year as Spring and the season of new life is upon us, may we choose for the first time, or renew again, our commitment to God to give over our lives to Him, to be lived for His glory. He is the Master Gardener who knows the type of seed we are, and exactly where, how, and when to plant us to bear fruit through Him. This choice can give us eternal life but it is ours to make.
For reflection:
- What is an area of your life that you need to surrender to Christ, be it for the first time or again?
- What has been the toughest area of your life you had to surrender? How did God bless you because of it?
by Maureen Morello
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