Saving or Losing Your Life
Life is very fragile. Our life could come to an end at any moment. We could have a heart attack or a stroke that takes our life. We could be in a fatal accident. These days, we could even be killed by gunfire at a store or in our own home. No one is guaranteed to live another hour. All of this makes us think about what life is about and what we need to do with our life. Unfortunately, many people have the wrong idea. They think they can prolong their life and enhance their life by accumulating money and enjoying the things of this world. In the end, they will die and leave behind what they haven't spent. Then, others, a small group I am afraid, learn how to save their life. (Matthew 16:25-26) Jesus made the way to do this very clear. He told us that if we want to save our life, we will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Him will find it. After all, what will it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life? We need to ponder well these deep statements by Jesus.
Our life is not really ours. God gave us life. We did not earn it or deserve it. It is His gift to us. For that gift we should be eternally grateful. We insult the Lord when we take our life and decide we can save it through money or medicine or any other means. The only One who can give us lasting, eternal life is God, the One who made us. The only way to have that life, to find real life and to save our life, is to give our life completely to Him by repentance and faith. We lose our life to gain eternal life. That is the only decision about our life that makes any real sense, isn't it? Why would anyone want to live like a king for 100 years and then die to spend eternity in torment for his sins? There is nothing we can gain in this world that is worth losing our life. There is nothing valuable enough to give to God for our life. God just wants us. When we give ourselves to Him, He promises to be with us and to give us abundant life. His life is so much better than anything we can produce, it is worth losing our life and following His way forever. I pray we all see this clearly and trust Jesus as Lord and Savior today by giving all of your life to Him, once and for all.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Matthew 17-19.