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The High Calling of Jesus Feb 24 2009
"He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." - Matthew 10:39
Jesus said, "The only way you really can FIND your life is to be willing to LOSE your life." This statement is one of the paradoxes of meaningful living. What did Jesus mean? How can we find our life if we lose it? We'd be dead. Now, settle down - it's about dying - but not dying physically. What?
Think about it this way. How are most people trying to discover their ultimate meaning? Some by achievement; others through education. Many see it through experience; others through relationships. Still others see it through acts of pleasure. But the reality is, Christ says it's a paradox. Until you're willing to lose all this, let go of it as a source of ultimate meaning, you'll never find yourself. It's about letting go of your priorities, of your desires, of your interests, in order to follow Christ's priorities.
So have you made that decision? Are you willing to lose your priorities for Christ's priorities? Yes, it's a paradox - the only way to really win is to lose your life for Jesus.
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5 Comments
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Yes, report it NevermindSo very true. Jesus is the sole provider of meaning.
We live in a world that tells you to punctuate your life with moments of meaning but denies any overall meaning or purpose to life. What a lie!
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Yes, report it NevermindAh, true freedom!
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Yes, report it NevermindI find this devotion to be pretty mind-boggling. It seems to me there is first the calling of God that a person would have faith in Jesus and do a turn around from the sinful life they have been living. But as a person excapes from one level of sin it seems there is a new recognition of sin in other areas and therefore it seems like there is a daily calling rather than a one time calling to make the priorities of Jesus the priorities of a person. There is a new life, a new way of living when fully surrendered to Jesus and living by His example. I just don't feel like I can ever be totally successful at the level I would like. That is the paradox that I struggle with. But I know as I try that God must look upon my effort with His favor. May God bless all of you who are trying to live as Jesus would have us to live...only by His strength in us do we have any hope for success.
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Yes, report it NevermindJanice, I think that it's easy to get caught up in a "works mentality". Salvation, "the new birth", "justification" (all the same) happens to you ONCE when you confess your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Sanctification is an ongoing process wherin the Holy Spirit works in you everyday to help you become more Christlike. You still sin, but you are aware of it and continue to seek forgiveness and growth. No one becomes totally Christlike in this life. Good works will be more and more evident in your life, but they are the "fruit" bearing witness to you as a reborn person. They are not necessary for your eternal security in Christ. Simply put, Salvation is the Grace you received by accepting Jesus and his atonement for your sins plus NOTHING ELSE. HE DID IT ALL!
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Yes, report it NevermindThanks, Grant, for your thoughtful comment. I do believe in salvation by grace alone, not by works. I always considered works to be like good deeds. I had never thought about that one could have a "works mentality" toward trying to keep free from getting tangled up in sin. I am saved and I would like to live totally sin free. I think all Christians struggle with that desire and goal. Sanctification is God working out His plans through me and I am willing but sometimes I fail. Specifically I am concerned that I eat sweets knowing that they are harmful to my body and God would not want me to do that because I am pre-diabetic. Sometimes I refrain and feel I am pleasing God but other times I give in to temptation. So when I give in to temptation I feel like I am living the old life and not the new life as mentioned in today's verse. I think this devotion will help me to think more seriously about when I give in to my desire for sweets rather than living as God would have me to live.