God's Glory Church

“If a grain of wheat falls into the ground and does not die, then it remains alone; if it dies, it will bear abundant fruit.” —John 12:24

We know Leonardo da Vinci as a representative of the Renaissance. His intellectual abilities led to progress in many fields of science and art. However, he wrote about “these unfortunate days of ours” and lamented that we die “without leaving behind anything in human memory.”

“While I thought I was learning to live,” said Leonardo, “I was learning to die.” He was closer to the truth than he could have imagined. Learning to die is the way to life. After His glorious entry into Jerusalem (what we now celebrate as Palm Sunday; see John 12:12-19), Jesus said: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (v. 24). First of all, He said this about His death, but then He extended it to all of us: “Whoever loves his soul will lose it, but whoever hates his soul in this world will save it for eternal life” (v. 25).

The Apostle Paul wrote about “burial” with Christ through “baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we were united in the likeness of His death, we will also be united in the likeness of the resurrection” (Rom. 6:4-5).

Through His death, Jesus offers us a new birth, which is the essence of regeneration. He paved the way for us to eternal life with His Father.

How do you define the value of your life? How might you need to change these values?

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that in You I can find meaning and purpose.

Author: Tim Gustavson