An Explanation

John 12:23-28
23 And Jesus answered them, saying, "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 by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.25 "He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.27 "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour.28 "Father, glorify Thy name." There came therefore a voice out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."(NAS)

This verse is very similar to another verse found in Matthew:

Matt 16:24-25
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.25 "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.(NAS)

There is a reason the saying goes: "accept Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior." Sometimes we forget that it involves a surrender. In John 12:23, Jesus is referring directly to the cross that he is about to endure for our sins, but He also relates it to us. When we accept Salvation, we are taking God's gift, but we are giving a life of service in return. As Believers, we can't be stuck in what this world has to offer. The goal is at the end of the course, not off to either side. As Paul tells us repeatedly, that goal is to become like Christ. That is often accomplished through suffering, which is what Matthew 16:24 means by "take up his cross."

I know I personally do a better job of surrendering some days more than others. I think it has to be a daily task. Something we're always working for. And prayer is a big part of it.

At the tail end of the passage in John, it even says that we will be honored for our gift of service. It's not entirely clear what that honor will be, but if it's something God wants to give us, it's got to be good. I feel like going on and on, but I think I'm a little scattered already, and it's past my bedtime, so I guess that's it for the night. No wonder I postponed this explanation.