²⁰ Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. ²¹ So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. ²³ And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Meditation:

1. What does Jesus mean when he talks about a grain of wheat dying and reproducing itself?  Every spring, many of us would bury seeds in our gardens and in a few weeks enjoy the bloom of flowers and the nourishment of vegetables.  Jesus is teaching us that instead of grasping more tightly to whatever we value, we are to hold it more loosely, letting it fall from our hands into the ground.  Then, “if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.”(v24, The Message Bible)
2. Wait for Jesus to show an area of your life – a relationship, a decision to be made, and so on, – in which you are holding on to the status quo, and not allowing God to bring growth or change.  In what way might this be destructive or suffocating?
3. Sit a little longer.  Hold hands in tight fists.  Then relax them, open them, and turn palms upward and talk with Jesus about what a life of open hands would look like.  Ask him to show me what it means to be where he is(26).
4. Think again about the tightly held part of your life.  Try to let go just a little bit, with Jesus’ help.  Serve Jesus and follow him today.

Suggestion for Family Devotional Time: Prepare some seed packages beforehand.  Go to your garden or prepare some pots and plant some of the seeds.  Remember to mark them with names on sticks.  Sit together and talk about this experience.  Have a discussion about how plants grow.  And discuss what Jesus means when he talks about a grain of wheat dying and reproducing itself.  What does that mean to each one?

Prayer & Journaling:  On your prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.

Proverbs for Today 10:29-32

²⁹ The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless, but destruction to evildoers.  ³⁰ The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.  ³¹ The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.  ³² The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.