John 12:24-25 – A Grain of Wheat

John 12:24-25 – A Grain of Wheat
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. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Comment - Jesus Came to Teach Us to Die

The real trick in knowing how to live is knowing how to die. I feel that the lesson Jesus taught us and made possible for us was how to die in the right way in order that we might truly live. The living part is easy if we know how to die.

To me, dying means to die to destructive self-centeredness. It means to let go of the things I hold on to so tightly: my own way, my own reputation, the respect of others, resentments that eat away like cancer. To die means to let go of what hinders us in order to be free to follow Jesus. “Whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:24). To die is to displace the self from the throne of our being and enthrone the Lord Jesus. This is also what it means to live. As we are emptied of ourselves, we can be filled with the Spirit of Christ Jesus. It is a dispossession in order that we may be possessed by the Holy Spirit.

In practice, this kind of dying to self and turning to the Lord is often like turning on a light switch. When the switch is flicked on, the darkness is dispelled. The gesture of flicking the switch is a simple one. And Son so it is often that the turning to the Lord is such a simple gesture: calling his name, being aware of his presence, seeking him. The actual turning to the Lord is what is asked of us; it is a sign of our faith in him and desire to seek his will.

Source: excerpt from THE KEY TO EVANGELIZATION - George W. Kosicki