Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
12 11 2023
The Seed Must Die. What does that mean to you?
How often have you thought of a seed needing to die? To me, seeds have been a picture of new life just bursting to get out. But Paul said, “A Seed must die before it can sprout from the ground!” 1 Cor 15:36 The seed buried beneath its own weight must first die before it can give life and it pushes through under the enormous pressure of dirt. The Seed Must Die. It dies and from it comes the roots of life and light. A little at a time, until a small tender delicate sprout emerges, and life finds the face of the sun. The face of the next challenge of growing into something that will further glorify God. You do know that is the purpose of every living thing? To glorify the king.
People may get distracted or forget their purpose, but nature doesn’t. Nature lives to shout his praises… their glory is his glory, and they are not prideful in desiring to withhold it. It is their purpose and life, and they live to that end. To Glorify the King!
Paul wrote in 1 Cor 15: 42 44 These bodies will die, but the bodies that are raised will live forever… Our physical bodies will be changed into spiritual bodies. For that to happen the physical bodies MUST DIE. Think about it. Either when Jesus calls us in the air or awakens us from the grave… A Seed Must Die!
Don’t get lost here, please. Our bodies are not who we are. We just use them to walk around and enjoy our portion of living. The human soul is the part of us that is eternal. Jesus said in Matt 10:28 “Do not fear men who can kill the body but not the soul”. But be assured of this: The human soul can be strong or weak (2 Peter 2:14), saved or lost (James 1:21; Ezekiel 18:4). It was created by God (Jeremiah 38:16). The human soul needs the protection, purification, and atonement of God (Leviticus 17:11; 1 Peter 1:22). The human soul is imperishable, and every human soul will be somewhere for eternity (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46). Isn’t this a sobering thought.
But in all this, the Seed Must Die. This young spout is where many of you are right now. You get this urging to come to a men’s or women’s group. It’s just this inner urging that I need more of God. I need more faith in my life. And you wonder where has this been for all of these years or all my life?
Paul said, in Gal 1:15 “But when God, who set me apart, separated me, from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles”,. Even though he had this life of wanting to become a priest his religious zeal prompted him to search out these perceived heretics, the Christians, and kill and persecute them. But through all of this, there was a seed inside of him, before the beginning of time. That he was called by God. Like you who are reading this right now. Called of God. Regardless of your past, God is using it all and he will one day, bring it to the purpose of his glory…the purpose of every living thing. And the death of that seed, of that worldly man, will become a time of revelation for each of us to sprout. Yes, even as we are so tender, delicate, influenceable, and nursing on the milk of his word as an infant. But the sprout will grow deeper roots, and grow a sturdy trunk of faith, growing our hope and trust in God, to become a child of obedience as we grow throughout a lifetime. But for that to happen the Seed Must Die. So we can know the eternal life and peace, in heaven (Psalm 23:2).
Paul says in Gal 3:20 “I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me.” If you dig up that tree you will no longer find the seed…
It is dead and gone.
The old has passed away and is now new.
By His Grace… Our Seed must Die so Christ can live in me!
United Ocean (Where feet may fail)
