Want Bigger? Get Smaller!

Daily Selah is a mini-devotional, a pause to ponder about the Lord and how He wants us to live.


         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. -John 12:24 ESV

Why a ruler to illustrate a grain of wheat?
Keep reading for the answer :)

     After reading this passage, I was thinking about a grain of wheat and decided to do a bit of research. When Jesus used wheat as His illustration, He was portraying a deeper truth than we might realize. 





Did you know that a grain of wheat consists of 3 main parts? Bran is the first and hardest layer. The second layer, used primarily to make white flour, is the heaviest part of the grain and the core, known as the germ or embryo, contains the most nutrients. 

When a grain of wheat is removed from the plant, it dies. Then, it is planted (buried). The hard outer shell falls away and the inner part produces new life: a new wheat plant. 

Not only do you and I have 3 main parts like the grain of wheat (body, soul and spirit), our spiritual life cycle is also very similar to its physical life cycle. Take a look at Romans 6:1-4 (ESV).

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

According to the experts, grains of wheat average between 5 and 8 millimeters in length. 5 millimeters is less than a quarter of an inch, smaller than the spotlighted area in the picture above.

The wheat grain gets even smaller as it sheds it hard outer layers in preparation for producing a new wheat plant. Only when it is at its smallest can it produce big things.

John the Baptist beheld and introduced the Lamb of God, and declared, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

In order for us to grow and to "walk in newness of life," we have to get smaller. The hard outer layers of our flesh must be peeled away so we can bear much fruit.

Want bigger things? Get smaller.

• Want bigger faith? Get smaller. 

• Want bigger victory? Get smaller.   

• Want bigger growth? Get smaller.  

• Want bigger ministry? Get smaller. 

 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. -John 12:24 ESV



Father, help us to get smaller so that Jesus will be bigger in our lives. Help me and help each of us Lord to shed those hardened outer layers so that we will die to self and walk in newness of life as we allow Your Son to live through us, for Your glory. In Jesus Name, Amen.