“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour” (John 12:26).
TEXT — John 12:23-26
Message
The story is told of William Carey as follows: “William Carey, often referred to as the father of the modern missionary movement, was a brilliant man but came from a very humble beginning. In his early adulthood, he worked as a cobbler, a shoe repairman. At a dinner party one evening, a man said to Carey, “I understand, Mister Carey that you once worked as a shoemaker.” “Oh, no, your lord,” Carey replied, “I was not a shoemaker, only a shoe repairman.” What an example of deep humility!
Christ had just received in audience a group of Greeks that came to worship at the feast in Jerusalem. They had gone to Philip to request to see Jesus. He, in turn, informed Andrew of the visitors’ desire before the two disciples took the Greeks to Jesus. The Lord painted the picture of a grain of wheat that must be buried and die in the soil before it can germinate and bear more grains. He was telling them that His death would bring pardon and forgiveness of sins for humanity.
Believers should see it as a charge to live like Christ by subordinating their self-centredness to the higher ideals of God’s expectations. Only those who serve God, follow Him all the way and remain with Him until the end will receive His approval.
If you desire to please God and spend eternity with Him, you must relinquish all your claims to self-importance. You must surrender your life entirely to Him and allow Jesus Christ to reign in your heart. You must consciously live like Jesus, follow His examples and give no room any longer to worldliness. This is the only way to attract the eternal approval and enduring badge of honour that comes from God.
Thought for the day
The road to heavenly glory is paved with selfless services.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
