C.S Lewis said:
“Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
Jesus said unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone. (John 12:24)
The world is becoming a very lonely place. The more people are connected via modern technology, the more isolated and individualistic they become. The more individualistic they become the more lonely, depressed, and hopeless they become; which in turn leads to health and relationship problems that are the same all over the world.
The world’s hopelessness is reflecting the dark god of this world as it is becoming more lawless as the days fly by. A hopeless world will reach for anything that offers solace.
All of creation was meant to reflect the Glory of God including you and me.
“Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
“For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” (II Corinthians 4:6)
The kernel of wheat looks lovely before it is covered up with soil. Everyone says, “Oh, what a nice kernel of wheat. Look how healthy it is. Look how vibrant. Look how it is so well-formed.”
The light of the sun reflecting off the shell of wheat gives you these deductions about the kernel of wheat.
But, put that same kernel in the ground. Cover it up with soil.Hide it from the sun. Tamp it down. Allow the rain and weather work its mysteries and in a few months, you see a sprout of green pushing up through the packed earth toward, what? The sun!
Keep the weeds and birds of prey away, and the sprout turns into a stem which brings forth leaves, and then the wheat kernel multiplied 30, 60 or 100 fold.
If you took the kernel out of the soil after only a short period of time, you would see that it is now corrupted, and decayed into ugliness. It has died in the darkness and fallen apart. It looks nothing like the original healthy kernel you held in your hand.
You and I are the kernels of wheat dying in a lonely dark world surrounding by many harsh enemies seeking to destroy us and keep us from reflecting God’s Glory.
God wants us to use the loneliness, and hopelessness of the crisis to lead you to Light of the Son!
If we could see ourselves as God sees us, we would see how sinful and how defiled we are in His eyes. He desires to use the circumstances of life to show us how He sees us. He did the same with Job. He did the same with Paul. He sees us as sinners, corrupt and covered with His Righteousness!
Job said he had spoken totally without knowledge of things that were too wonderful for him. (Job 42:3)
Paul sought the Lord three times for deliverance of his thorn only to hear the Lord say: “My Grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” II Corinthians 12:9)
Just as the kernel of wheat forces its way through the hard circumstances surrounding it, pressing, reaching toward the life-giving force of the sun, so we have to overcome our corrupt desires as we reach toward the Light and Life that is only found in the face of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 21:7)
Only then, will we know the Glory of God and only then will we begin to reflect His Glory to the darkness surrounding us.
Then one glorious day Jesus will come in the Brightness of His Father bringing His New Jerusalem with Him. Then all the world will walk in the Light of His Face as it shines forth from the City of God. There will be no need of the sun or a candle for Jesus with radiate His light into all the universe and all the universe will reflect His Glory, including those who believe in Him as the only way to eternal life!
Don’ fight your crisis but embrace it as the means of releasing God’s purpose in your life. Use it to reflect His Glory as you look into the Face of Christ!