“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
The problem with us is that either we refuse to be buried or we insist on being buried. Either we think that we are so hopeful and useful, or we say, “I will just be a normal church-going member of the Body, because I’m supposed to be buried.”
To be a seed does not mean that we are passive; rather, we must be those who can respond to the opportunity for growth; we must be willing to invest ourselves into something that may help us to grow. We should not be slow in our responding. We may think, “My time of being buried is not over yet. I’m still in the dying process.” If we have such an attitude, then after the process of dying is over, we will be unable to produce anything.
We must learn, when the sun shines, to take advantage of it; when the good soil is there, take advantage of it. We must practice this for our whole life. Whenever we see the opportunity to learn or gain something, our response should be, “I am ready.”
This is the third aspect of being a seed. When the environment is in season, take advantage of it. Always be ready to grow, and always be ready to bear fruit. This is to serve the Lord as a seed.
Adapted from the online series, Serving the Lord as a Seed, Message one, pages 6-7.
Tomorrow: “Being Ready to Grow and Bear Fruit” (4)