8/10/25 The Seed Must Die

Takeaway: Every loss and surrender in our lives, though painful, can become holy ground where God plants the seeds of new, deeper life.

Opening Prayer (Sunday)

Lord, this is Your day, and I come before You with a heart of worship. Prepare me to hear Your voice, to grow in faith, and to reflect Your love in all I do. Be glorified in my life today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflection

There is a quiet ache embedded in every death one experiences. The ache is caused by what Jesus said in John’s gospel: death leads to life. He speaks of a seed, small and seemingly insignificant, containing within it the power to multiply and give life. But this promise is not realized unless the seed first falls, is buried, and dies. In nature, we understand this intuitively. A seed cannot sprout unless it is broken open in the soil. And so it is with us. Loss, surrender, and even suffering are not the end, but the beginning of a deeper life with God. They are not punishments or pointless pain, but divine invitations and a gateway to life itself.

When Jesus spoke these words, He was just days away from the cross. His listeners couldn’t yet understand the full weight of what He was saying, but Jesus was pointing to the pattern that would define the Kingdom of God. His own death would become the seed of resurrection for the world. Through His loss, we would gain life. Yet this principle doesn’t only apply to Jesus, it’s the rhythm of all spiritual growth. In every season of letting go, every surrender of control, every goodbye we are forced to say, God is sowing something holy. We are often tempted to resist the fall, to hold onto our comforts, dreams, or identities, but true fruitfulness begins with release, with letting go.

There is something deeply human about our desire to cling to relationships, to roles, to routines. We equate holding on with strength and survival. But in the spiritual economy of God, growth comes through relinquishment. Like the seed in the soil, we may feel buried by grief, obscured by uncertainty, or broken in the dark places of our lives. But in that hidden surrender, God is at work. He is softening us, reshaping us, and preparing us for resurrection life. What looks like loss may be the very soil in which our faith is about to flourish.

Have you ever experienced a season when something dear to you had to die? A job you loved, a relationship you cherished, a version of your life that no longer exists? It is tempting to see such seasons as the end of the story. But Jesus assures us that they may, in fact, be the beginning. New life rarely comes in the ways we expect. It grows quietly beneath the surface, waiting for the right time to break forth and grow. And when it finally does, it is not the same life we had before. It is deeper, wider, and more rooted in God.

The seed must die. There is no shortcut around it. But there is also no resurrection without it. This is the mystery of the Gospel, echoed in every life that has been surrendered to Christ. So if you find yourself in a place of dying, dying to your plans, your comforts, your job, your sense of control, or life itself, take heart. The Gardener is near.

Questions

What “seed” in your life is God asking you to release or let die right now?

In what ways are you currently resisting the fall, and how might trusting God change your posture?

Application

Reflect prayerfully on one area of your life that feels like a loss or is requiring surrender. Journal your grief, your questions, and your hopes. Then, as a spiritual practice, plant an actual seed or small plant somewhere, symbolizing your trust that God is already at work in the soil of your life, bringing forth new life even if you cannot yet see it.

Closing Prayer

Lord, in the places where I feel loss, surrender, or sorrow, help me to trust that You are near. Teach me to release what I cannot control and believe that You are sowing something good, even in the darkness. May Your resurrection life take root in me, and bring beauty from every buried seed. Amen.

Don’t forget to like and leave a comment letting us know that you are reading.