The grain of wheat has to fall. We are are born with two fears—the fear of loud noises and the fear of falling. The sensation of falling is uncomfortable. Think of when you’re in an elevator and it “drops” a little or when you’re in an airplane and it does the same thing. We don’t like that, do we? There’s something about the way we’re wired that makes us like having our feet on the ground or something to hold on to.
Jesus fell and He calls on us to do the same. The “falling” that we’re called to do is like those trust exercises people used to do where they allowed themselves to fall backward knowing that there were people behind them who will catch them. Only we fall into our Father’s arms. The falling and dying Jesus spoke of in regard to the grain of wheat is the equivalent of us falling backwards into our Father’s arms. But our falling is more because just as we allow Him to catch us, we also allow Him to reign over every part of our lives. He reigns over our attitudes, actions, speech, relationships—everything!
Now we’re talking scary!
For a lot of people, this is scarier than falling. And it’s true, the only way you can do this is through trust in your Father. It’s the kind of trust we see Jesus display when He refused to ask God to save Him from this hour but rather requested that God’s name would be glorified. Trust is the way we fall into the earth and die to all our sinful, misdirected ways. It is the way we allow our life to be used by God.
When we do this, to finish the metaphor, we bear much fruit. One grain of wheat can produce a stalk with eight or more heads—that’s over 300-400 kernels of wheat. That’s fruitful! In the same way, God can take our surrendered lives and produce more fruit than we ever imagined.
When we finally get to see God, that’s what will matter, isn’t it? A lot of things we get all worked up about aren’t going to make any difference, but living a fruitful life will. Let’s fall into God’s arms and let Him produce fruit in our lives!
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 