ICS Daily Devotions
Fruitful in Everyday Life
John 12:24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
Jesus likens us to a grain that falls into the ground, which will remain alone unless it dies, then it will produce much grain. How do we live out this powerful truth in our everyday life?
To be the salt and light in the marketplace, it requires that we lay down our lives before God and consider ourselves dead or crucified with Christ. We need to consecrate our lives to God and see ourselves as ambassadors of Christ in our workplace. Being unashamed of the Gospel and allowing the Lord to move through us as we boldly share the Gospel is choosing to die to self, but note that nothing happens until the grain — you and I — chooses to die to being ashamed of the Gospel and to the fear of rejection. The multiplication is through us!
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
In the area of family, people often pray for breakthrough in their marriages and relationships with their children, but if they do not die to themselves and live out the kind of lives that God has intended for them, changes are hard to come by because their families fail to see Christ in their lives. Dying to ourselves means refusing to be offended, argumentative, angry and selfish. When we choose to die a thousand deaths daily by refusing to be offended, forgive, and choose to love, much grain will be seen.
Finally, we have all heard testimonies by Christians who were humbled when their businesses failed and all their hard work was reduced to nothing, because it suddenly dawned on them how insignificant and powerless they were without God. Then as they began to surrender their lives to God and have faith in Him, God restored them and resurrected their dreams and businesses. However, they wouldn’t have had to to come to that point if they had chosen to die to self earlier!
John 12:25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
Sermon Series: A Fruitful Life for Christ
