Embrace Your Destiny
"But if it [a kernel of wheat] dies, it produces many seeds" John 12:24.

As you read this e-column, "March Madness"--basketball tournament time in
North America--is nearing its frenzied height. Picture yourself as a young
athlete in the championship game. With your team down by one point, the ball
is passed to you and you loft a jump-shot just before the final buzzer sounds.

How would you fare under such pressure? Most people, myself included, would
wilt under the pressure. However, some athletes remain cool-headed and
steady-handed. Why? I think they have a sense of destiny. They realize God
gave them athletic ability for the very purpose of taking that final shot--whether the ball goes through the hoop or not.

As Jesus prepared for the tense pressure of the crucifixion, He said, "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'?
No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name!" (John 12:27-28).

Fully aware of His destiny, Jesus courageously bore our sins on Calvary's
cross and secured a victory over sin, death and Satan that outshines and
outlasts every basketball championship.

As we Christians seek to share the blessings of His eternal victory with
others, we face many pressures.

• When a woman shares Christ with a lesbian co-worker, she is accused of
  homophobia.
• When a Muslim family in Afghanistan trusts in Christ for salvation,
  Taliban militia forces threaten to kidnap the oldest son.
• A Christian clinic in a Buddhist land is shut down, while local
  officials await a hefty bribe.

And you also face your own witness-under-pressure situations. Although you
may feel overwhelmed and likely to wilt, never forget, my friend, that you have a destiny.

Jesus describes your destiny in John 12:24-25: "I tell you the truth, unless
a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single
seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life
will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for
eternal life."

Nowadays the phrase "to die for" is used far too lightly.

• "This restaurant serves desserts to die for."
• "She was wearing an outfit to die for."

Only a few things are worth dying for. As a seed dies in the soil, so Jesus
died to redeem humankind. This was His destiny, designed and assigned by
His Father in heaven, and He embraced it.

Similarly, Jesus invites us to die to our own pride and desires, for the sake of lost men, women and children around the block and around the world. To die for them means to live for them. To die for them is your divinely ordained mission destiny. And it is mine as well.

Will the death of your one kernel of wheat accomplish anything? Yes, without
a doubt! Jesus promised, "if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24).
Whatever you offer up for the sake of God's mission, He will multiply.
That's not your fate. It's your destiny. So embrace it.

1. How is v. 24 true biologically? How did Jesus fulfill v. 24? (See v. 32.)
2. What are your personal witness-under-pressure situations? How are you
   handling the pressure?
3. Apply to your situations the mission promises in John 12:24, 25, 26, 31
   and 32.