Losing Life to Find It
We have come to our final day of vacation. That means Debbie will return to work next week and I will return to my “normal” schedule. For me that includes several tests that I have schedule with the first on taking place on Monday.
After our morning run to Dunkin Donuts, we hit the miniature golf course. Nathan ended up being the best, but he was keeping score! After lunch and a little rest I took the grand boys to the activity center and I went to the fitness center for a workout. It is too bad that I didn’t discover the facility earlier in the week. It as least was an indication that I may be up to and able to benefit from some regular “gym” workouts.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” Luke 9:24,25
The call and cost of following Christ is one of great importance. Jesus offered the call to “follow Him” to a rich young ruler among others who showed hesitation and offered excuses. At the end of Luke 9 we read of one that Jesus said, “come follow me” and two others who said, “Lord, I will follow you.” To one Jesus prepared him with the challenges of “discipleship life” with the words, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58) The others responded by stipulating their own terms preceded with “Lord, let me first…” (Luke 9:59-61)
These responses are in contrast to the disciples that Jesus called who “immediately…followed” Jesus, leaving fishing nets, tax collector booths and family. Being a follower of Christ today does not involve “leaving” a job, or family members to physically follow Jesus as it was during His earthly ministry. But if does mean placing all that we value in our life as second compared to our devotion to Christ.
Jesus made it clear, you can’t find the true life He offers by holding on to your old life. For those who feel they have too much to give up Jesus simply asks, “what does it profit a man if he gains the world yet forfeits his own soul.”
I found it interesting that a recent issue of Time magazine reported that those in the highest income levels report at 41% satisfaction level with their life. The percentages go down from there, as the income levels drop. If money, fame, fortune are what people seek, we find that 60% of those that have what others seek aren’t that much happier with their life.
What is the value of a human soul? It cost Christ everything. Coming to earth as the baby in Bethlehem’s manger; living 30 years of life just like any other Jewish boy; three years of controversial ministry where He was misunderstood, rejected, faced threats against His life and was finally betrayed by one of his closest and trusted followers; an agonizing death on a cross in the place of a common criminal between two criminals; and then hastily buried in borrowed tomb. That is the cost. The glory of Christ’s obedience is found in being raised to life after three days and offering to all who would follow Him, forgiveness, His presence and eternity with Him.
Our response to all this, in the words of author/pastor Mark Batterson, is to be “all in for the One who was all in for us.”