By Annaika Dastine | Founder, Who Is This Jesus? Ministry

"Very truly I tell you, 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."

You know I love it when I read a passage throughout my journey with Jesus, and then one day the Holy Spirit leads me to pause, meditate, and ask questions.

As I read the passage above, a question came to me: What is it about a kernel of wheat that made it so important for Jesus to use it as an illustration to teach me the importance of dying?

I was amazed by what I learned. The facts about a kernel of wheat reinforced something I have often said: it is impossible to truly meet Jesus and remain the same.

This is what I learned, and I encourage you to prayerfully reflect on it as you consider your own walk with Jesus.

A kernel of wheat may appear dry, lifeless, and insignificant, yet within it lies the potential for abundant life. As long as the kernel remains untouched, it stays a single seed. But when it is placed into the soil, its outer shell breaks down, and what appears to be its death becomes the beginning of new growth. From that one kernel, a plant grows that produces many more grains.

Jesus used this truth to teach a profound spiritual lesson in John 12:24. He was speaking of His own death and resurrection, through which He would bring salvation to many.

But He was also teaching His followers that true spiritual fruitfulness comes through surrender. Just as the wheat kernel must be buried before it can grow, we too must surrender our own will, desires, and plans to God. What may feel like loss, sacrifice, or even death to self is often the very place where God begins His greatest work in us. In His hands, surrender is never wasted; it becomes the pathway to transformation, growth, and a life that bears fruit for His glory.

My friend, we must die to self so that the life of Christ can live through us.

Through repentance, confession, baptism, surrender to His will, and allowing His commands to be formed within us by the power of the Holy Spirit, God changes us from the inside out.

My friends, we must obey as Jesus obeyed if we desire to receive the crown of life promised to those who remain faithful until the end. Like the kernel of wheat, if we refuse to surrender to the will of God, we may profess to be Christians and disciples of Jesus Christ, yet still remain trapped in the old life. This is one of Satan's greatest deceptions—to convince people they belong to Christ while they continue living unchanged by His Lordship.

This is why Jesus gives such a sobering warning in Matthew 7:21–23:

*"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew

...Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

Do you heed Jesus' warning?

Jesus requires death and resurrection in order for us to experience the new birth in Christ. Through baptism, we identify with His death, burial, and resurrection. Through surrender, His authority becomes the standard by which we live. The old self must die so that the life of Christ can be formed within us.

Religion, good deeds, intellectual knowledge, and even knowing or quoting Scripture do not, by themselves, bring us into His presence. Jesus calls us to something deeper—a transformed life marked by obedience, surrender, and a genuine relationship with Him.

The kernel of wheat could not remain what it was and still produce fruit. It had to fall to the ground and die. In the same way, we cannot cling to our old nature and expect to experience the fullness of the new life Christ offers.

My friend, Jesus did not come merely to make us better people; He came to make us new. Just as the kernel of wheat must die before it can produce a harvest, we too must die to self so that the life of Christ may be revealed in us.

The call of Jesus has always been the same: deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. It is a call to surrender our will, our desires, our pride, and our plans so that His will may become our own. It is through this daily dying that the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ.

My friends, the evidence of new life is not merely what we say with our lips, but what is revealed through a heart surrendered to God. A transformed life produces the fruit of obedience, humility, love, and faithfulness. Just as a healthy tree bears fruit according to its nature, a life surrendered to Christ will increasingly reflect His character.

The question is not whether we attend church, know Scripture, perform good works, or even claim the name of Jesus. The question is whether we have truly surrendered our lives to Him and allowed Him to transform us from the inside out.

Jesus offers new life to all humanity, but it begins with dying to self. What would it take for you to surrender and receive the life He freely offers?

Weekly Scripture John 12:24 NIV