为甚么有这个必要呢？我们的主提出这个要求时可能有甚么目的？今天的经文把答案告诉我们：「你们多结果子，我父就因此得荣耀，你们也就是我的门徒了」。父的「荣耀」究竟是甚么？是彩虹还是瀑布？还是唱诗的天使？都不是，父的「荣耀」是呈献丰盛果子的儿女。你的生命多结果子吗？它有丰富的收成，让你的主可以从中得到永恒的快乐吗？如果没有，那么也许是因为你是那「害怕死去的麦子」。你从神为你而设计的计划中退缩出去，而那计划不是要贬低你，是要培养你。如果你怕死，那么正如耶稣说，你「仍旧只是一粒麦子」。

有一次，一位女士在我讲完关于这个题目的道后来到我面前说：「为甚么神那么残忍，对我们有那么多要求？」她的意思是，为甚么神要取去我所拥有的唯一东西──我自己？这位女士以为那是等于自我毁灭。她只看到自己要放弃甚么，却看不到会得到甚么。如果我们要赢得这场战争，我们必须好像耶稣那样，专注相信，因为在我们选择了的十字架道路的背后，隐藏着最终的能力和胜利。

「十字架的背后隐藏着最终的能力和胜利」

进深研究
西一1-10；诗一3；太十三23；罗六22

1. 神对我们的旨意是甚么？
2. 那包括甚么？

祈祷
我的父、我的神，我不想退缩、躲避，或者将事情推迟。求您帮助我，现在就帮助我，在面对向私欲死去这件事情上，能彻底地作出决定。阿们。

The Corn of Wheat Afraid to Die

Day 250

What is the Father's "glory"?

"This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." (v.8)

Bible reading:
John 15:1-11

1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.

3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love.

11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Message

Over these last few days, we have been seeing that just as Christ came face to face with the issue - To die or not to die - so also must we, His disciples, face a similar challenge. It is one of the axioms of the Christian life that in order to realise God's purposes in our lives, we must be prepared to die to all self-interest.

Why is this so necessary? What possible purpse can our Lord have in making such a demand? Our text for today gives us the answer: "This is my Father's glory, that you may bear fruit in plenty and so be my disciples" (NEB). The Father's "glory" is what? Rainbows? Waterfalls? Chanting angels? No, the Father's "glory" is men and women who bring forth fruit in plenty. Is your life fruitful? Does it yield a rich harvest from which your Lord will derive eternal pleasure? If not, then perhaps the reason is that your are "a corn of wheat afraid to die". You draw back from experiences which are designed, not to demean you, but to develop you. And if you are afraid to die, then, as Jesus put it, you "remain only a single seed".

A women once came up to me after I had preached a sermon on this theme, and said: "Why is God so cruel in demanding so much of us?" She meant: Why does God demand the one and only thing I own - me, myself? It seemed to her that she would be consenting to her own extinction. She saw only what she had to give up - not what she had to gain. If we are to win this battle, then we must do as Jesus did and continually focus our gaze on the fact that beyond the chosen way of the cross lies ultimate power and victory.

"Beyond the cross lies power and victory"

Prayer
My Father and my God, I do not want to shirk, to dodge, or to put things off. Help me, and help me now, to face this issue of the death of my self-interests so that it is settled once and for all. Amen.

Further study
Colossians 1:1-10
Psalm 1:3
Matthew 13:23
Romans 6:22

1. What is God's purpose for us?
2. What does that entail?

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