Passage for Lent

John 12:23 – But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

I learned something new about wheat. Apparently farmers wait until they know it is going to be a hard freeze and then they plant the wheat kernels. This is because the hard shell has to ‘die’ so that the seed inside can push its way out and grow. Seems kinda opposite most other plantings that wait until they hope no more freezes will come or they will lose their crops. Pretty cool.

So the question I have to answer about myself is, how can I kill that hard outer shell that keeps Jesus from entering my life more fully??

My lenten discipline has become giving up caffeine and reducing soda intake. This has become a much bigger deal for me than it used to be, I was drinking a Dr. Pepper at lunch and usually another one in the afternoon. I thought it was helping me work, but now that I’m not drinking them any more (and I’m not getting headaches anymore) I can see it was just a caffeine or sugar high. I think that I will continue to avoid both after Lent is over.

Obviously, giving up caffeine isn’t going to kill my sinful nature, but going through the motions of removing something negative (though small) in my life will help me learn how to give up more negative (larger) sins that I cling to.