Honoured by the Father.
Jesus declared: Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone, but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it, and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there shall also my servant be. If anyone serves me, my Father will honour them. John 12 :23-26.
In this account, Jesus was preparing the disciples for His impending death and resurrection. As believers, it is important to know and understand that Jesus’ death would be likened to a grain of wheat. For the wheat grain to produce a crop, it must be broken up; it must die, and from death springs forth life.
Jesus Christ was born without sin and lived a life untainted by sin, but redemption and salvation could not be wrought for the race of humanity without the death and resurrection of Jesus. His perfect walk with the Father would culminate in His obedience in laying down His life as the ultimate atonement for the fallen race of humanity.
Jesus continued to teach the disciples that, in like manner, everyone who calls on His name for salvation has got to experience dying to self. As believers, more importantly, as followers of Jesus Christ, we have to die to our way of living, so as to live the life that the Father expect of us. How often do we, as believers, fail to grasp the revelation that Jesus never offers us a choice, but instead issues a command that we are to follow?
Our dying to ourselves is not a choice; it is, in reality, a demand that we have to obey. This is what separates a mere believer from the life-transforming life of being called and accepted by our Father into discipleship. For this reason Jesus declared: If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14: 26-27.
This must become a revelation in our lives; Jesus is teaching the right priorities that we need to observe in our service to the Father. We are not to be absorbed in our own interests, and we are not to be lovers of self at the expense of serving others.
When Jesus uses the word of hating our life in this world, He instructs us to live with humility, not to be caught up in our interests, but to be willing to serve others. This is important. What does it mean for a believer to hate all and sundry members of our families? What Jesus is bringing forth is the revelation that we must not put anyone else before Him; He must be first in our lives.
Jesus is teaching that we cannot put anything or anyone in our lives that will affect the true lordship of Christ in our lives. Today, there are many who are being taught to get all they can out of this life and live it to the full. This is not the gospel that Jesus taught. Yes, Jesus wants us to be blessed, but to be blessed to be a blessing to others. The Lord gave me this thought. Jesus never expects more from us than His Father expected of Him.
The Lord gave me this word. The secret of a life empowered by the Father is to experience a personal death. This dying to self will destroy the claims of the world. For the believer to walk in the power of Almighty God, they must deny the claims of their own will. There must be the laying aside of self and one’s own life and becoming totally dependent on the power of the Christ life that is in the spirit of God.