Jesus used the illustration above to identify the principle that we must die to ourselves (our will and worldly pleasures) in order to produce much fruit. In other words, we cannot enjoy the eternal and earthly benefit of a relationship with God unless we are willing to forsake our will and abide wholeheartedly in His will. Most people probably never think of a seed planted as being dead. Much more they think how could something that is dead produce life at all not to mention many more of its kind. However, you must understand this principle through crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which was His willingness to die so He could be resurrected to provide everyone, indeed anyone, who would trust in Him everlasting salvation from Father God’s wrath against those who continue in rebellion through sinfulness against His will and way. He is the first born of the resurrected of which many believers would go on to do the works He does and even greater through the power of the Holy Spirit in them.
He arose after three days was seen of about 500 witnesses and ushered in the Church age. This has resulted in multiple billions of people accepting Him as Savior and Lord to be of service to others in the earth and to receive the promise of resurrection from the dead when he quickens our bodies at the rapture. Because He was a seed that was planted in the ground and dead to Himself, He lives to the will of God the Father to produce the kind of enormous fruit we see in the Church throughout the past 2000 years.
While the greater application is one of dying to ourselves and living to God, so that we can win many more people into the kingdom of God, this principle also has practical application in the money management arena while we’re on earth. Unless we die to ourselves, we will not manage money in accordance with biblical instruction and God’s plan for our lives and resources He entrusts to us. Instead, we will usually operate from the world’s vantage point and value system. Although some of their perspectives and methods come from the bible, they tend not to know it or even want to, and many of them have been twisted to a point where they ultimately hurt people who continue to use them in the long run and often in the short run.
Here are a few cases in point. First, some business executives had the mentality that “greed is good” and so it seemed to be good for quite some time. They helped manipulate revenue and accounting data, sometimes fraudulently, to boost stock prices so that over two decades their salaries shot up over 2000% percent while the average worker’s salary increased approximately 60% over the same period. We now see that some of them were convicted of crimes and spent many years in prison and their formerly vast fortunes were drastically reduced. Second, many business people, speculators, and average individuals reached into the credit (loan) handbag in ways that pushed the housing market to steep appreciation for two decades. Using unwise underwriting standards and options that financial institutions offered such as balloon ARMs, interest only, and no doc loans. Many loans required no income and asset documentation and many loans greatly increased people’s debt to income ratios. Many speculators outright lied about income on their applications and other individuals simply didn’t refuse to take such loans. All of them refused to believe that God’s Word is alive and the only truth for today and always.
If God’s word on debt and surety had been applied by businesses, speculators, and individuals alike the cycles of housing, credit, and economic crises we face would not be as severe especially on the middle class and lower income sectors in society. You see, economic problems are exacerbated because a great number of citizens refuse to die to themselves and their will. This means they do not choose to live to God’s will. Instead, they focus on material things they can gain from the financial boom cycles that occur (promotions, bigger titles, big investment accounts, bigger investment accounts, house bigger, bigger houses, mansions, more expensive vehicles, ostentatious bling, etc.) instead of His greater purpose for their lives and money entrusted to them. They thought they could get away with using credit any way they wanted and could pull others into enormous creditor / debtor loan contracts without it really being “oppression” on the masses and “unwise” for the lenders. What we’ve found is the walls to that house eventually cave in on both sides.
Each person must kill the greed for filthy lucre within him/her and bury it in Christ, so he/she may live to benefit many others and allow heavenly blessings to be poured upon him/her in the right way. When you die to yourself you kill the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life to find you are able to truly help far more people via ministries like feeding the hungry, helping the homeless, caring for widows and orphans, and lifting the poor out of poverty than you would otherwise be able to do. All because the Holy Spirit’s is committed to using His power in a supernatural way with proof of results when evangelism and disciple-making are connected with good works. Then, it is truly charitable services because through the communication of the gospel in both word and deed it leads givers and receivers to the one who is LOVE.
You will also find the blessing of God piling up on you with no sorrow added to it. God will open doors for you to make inroads in ways you or I do not yet mentally and physically understand nor have experienced. That is what faith is all about – the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen! Dying to self is a continual process. So, you must inventory yourself everyday by letting the Lord know you’re ready to stop anything you’re currently doing and take another direction when He wants you to. You must be willing to eliminate or move out of any business or ministry because anything you hold onto after He directs you elsewhere is now operating on your will and ultimately will not glorify Him or work out for the best for you or for others or put either of you in position to break bondages that are on your lives.
Please pray for this ministry and email me with any questions. May the LORD bless you richly as you follow His plan!
Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 4:21-32, Luke 7:1-10, John 12:20-26, 2 Corinthians 4:12-15
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