I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 12:24-25
A couple weekends ago we had a men’s retreat through church. It involved various activities and competitions, tying in some spiritual lessons along the way.
The theme was “Reload”. We were given an empty shotgun shell when we arrived, which was loaded up for us to fire off the next day. The shell represents my life. Often times I fill it with whatever I feel like, including sins and distractions of this world. In order to fill my life for God, I first need to be emptied of whatever is getting in the way. Then I need to let him fill me.
Jesus’ statement about dying in order to live carries with it the same theme. The Bible is filled with opposites. In order to live, you must die. In order to be first, you need to be last. In order to gain it all, you have to give up everything. The humbled are exalted while the prideful are humbled. That is the story of Jesus’ upside-down kingdom. Or maybe it’s the world that’s upside-down while his kingdom is right-side up…
