A Lifetime of Seeking You cont'd, Dying to Self
Hello ladies, God allowed me to attend a Joyce Meyer conference titled “Love Life” in person last weekend. It's fantastic because it was something that I had always prayed about as a young adult, and He answered my prayer; it was a huge blessing for me, and I’m very thankful. It was exciting how Joyce’s sermon was themed, “What about me?” Not in the way that you may be thinking. But “what about me in a selfish way, The fact that we’re always on our mind. The world revolves around us. Coincided with what I am writing about this month, which is seeking God, putting him first, and dying to self, as stated in Matthew 6:33 and John 12:24
She used this interesting seed analogy
· A seed is planted, and it must die for life to grow from it.
· The life breaks free from the seed and sprouts into something new.
· leaving behind the shell of what once contained it.
· Flourishing into a tree that produces multiple fruits.
Joyce said this, and I thought it was interesting; she used a peach seed; let’s say it has feelings, she says. When the seed is planted, it needs to lay in the heat, dirt, and darkness, which is uncomfortable. Then, the outer shell finally begins to crack open, which is painful. Then rootlets emerge at the bottom of the seed, taking a whole of the earth, getting rooted and planted. As time passes, it grows outside of the ground and eventually becomes a peach tree. If that peach seed stayed by itself, that’s all it would have ever been, but if it dies, it produces many others. Jesus died and set the perfect example for us to follow, not physically dying but denying an attitude of self-seeking and egoism and putting God and others first.
Seeking God and putting Him first could be challenging. No one wants God’s truth to interfere with their plans or desires because, at our core, we’re selfish human beings. We don’t wish to inconvenience ourselves and go through uncomfortable and painful seasons. However, it’s necessary for our growth, healing, and change. God loves us the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us the way we are; we must die to ourselves for life to grow from within us. It might not be easy, but God’s grace makes nothing impossible.
