"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel's will save it." (Mark 8:35)
What a seeming contradiction: Lose in order to save.
I asked a man who once said to me that he just couldn't "give up" so much to follow Jesus, "What do you have to lose?"
These Words of Jesus are with us still, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Answer? Nothing. So many over the years I have heard say, "Well, we don't preach that you have to give up anything to follow Jesus. We are more positive. We tell people what they receive." I guess they have a better "gospel."
There was a movie years ago where a Secret Service officer was chasing down an assassin. They were running over rooftops and the assassin jumped to another roof. The Secret Service guy didn't quite make it, and was hanging on the the rim of the roof. The assassin put out his hand and said, "Take my hand, Frank. Take it. If you don't, you'll die." This is true of our lives. When I lose my grip on life, only then can Jesus take hold of me, or, "will save it."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I so foolishly have attempted to hang on to my grip. I release it anew today to take Yours. Amen.
What a seeming contradiction: Lose in order to save.
I asked a man who once said to me that he just couldn't "give up" so much to follow Jesus, "What do you have to lose?"
These Words of Jesus are with us still, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Answer? Nothing. So many over the years I have heard say, "Well, we don't preach that you have to give up anything to follow Jesus. We are more positive. We tell people what they receive." I guess they have a better "gospel."
There was a movie years ago where a Secret Service officer was chasing down an assassin. They were running over rooftops and the assassin jumped to another roof. The Secret Service guy didn't quite make it, and was hanging on the the rim of the roof. The assassin put out his hand and said, "Take my hand, Frank. Take it. If you don't, you'll die." This is true of our lives. When I lose my grip on life, only then can Jesus take hold of me, or, "will save it."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I so foolishly have attempted to hang on to my grip. I release it anew today to take Yours. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
