Sold Out!

Earlier this week I wrote a devotional with the pointed question: “are you sold out or a sell-out?” Today I want to focus on the first of those two subjects: being sold out.

Look at John 12:23-26, and then come back to this devotional. 

Seventeen times in the Gospels Jesus uses the phrase “follow me.”  We read His call to several of His disciples, “Follow me!”  We see Him tell those who were grasping for reasons to delay their commitment to Him, “Follow me!”  In the text above Jesus uses the phrase in reference to any man.  His call to us is to follow Him.  To follow Christ is simply defined as being in the way He is in.  In reality, it is being “sold out” to Him.

Jesus illustrated what it was going to take to follow Him in John 12:24: Except a corn of wheat (seed) fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

A seed is an inanimate object.  It cannot refuse to be buried.  But imagine if it could.  Imagine a farmer going out to his fields during planting season, seeds in hand.  All of a sudden the seeds mutiny, leaping out of the bags they are held in as if abandoning ship.  They run and hide wherever they can because they don’t want to be buried and undergo the transformation that is necessary for them to become what they were made to be.  These seeds would rather remain seeds.  In effect they are telling the farmer, “We want to be what we want to be!”  But they were made for more.

I know, it’s silly; but imagine if just one of those seeds remains in the bag.  The farmer reaches in and grabs that single seed.  He looks at this seed and says, “Do you want to join the others?”  The seed replies, “I know you know what is best for me.  I want to be what you want me to be.”  In horror the other seeds look on as the farmer buries the one seed that remained in the bag.  After a few days the other seeds notice something spring from the ground that wasn’t there before, and it is in the exact spot the farmer buried the willing seed: new life!  Because that seed “sold out” to the process for which it was created, something greater comes of it that is beautiful and life-giving to others.  While the other seeds dry out and waste away, this single seed will provide for generations because it was sold out to the purpose for which it was created.

Now, look at your life.  You were made for a purpose far greater than you can imagine.  God knows His plans for you.  But until you are willing to become “sold out” to His way you will never see your potential realized. 

Jesus said, “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth (loves his life less than Me) his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”  So, being sold out leads to eternal life with Christ.  It also leads to being honored by God the Father.  But there is something in verse 24 that I want you to take note of: Selling out to God gives each of us the opportunity to do something meaningful in the Kingdom of God – bring forth much fruit.  That fruit will take various forms, for example, character traits gained through exposure to the Son (fruits of the Spirit) or leading people to become Christians.  Jesus is calling you to follow Him.  He died so that we might live.  And if we will allow Him to transform our lives – become sold out to Him –  He only know what impact we can have on the world around us.

Are you sold out?  What are you waiting for?

All questions and comments can be sent to Kenneth Crews at [email protected].