Finding Your Life

Chuckle: TV repairman: "So, what seems to be the problem with your TV?" Woman: "It has double images. I hope you men can fix it."

Quote: "No conceivable life can be so interesting and stimulating as that which we live in Christ." --William Little

Jesus said, "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it" (Matthew 10:39 NLT).

To the unsaved, and even to immature Christians, these words from Jesus are difficult to understand. It's a great paradox that one finds his life by being willing to lose it, just as he inevitably loses his life by trying to save it. The contrast is between living selfishly only for ourselves, and living sacrificially for Christ. Each person can find eternal life, and the abundant life here on earth, by surrendering his or her life to Christ or forfeit it by indulging in self-trust, self-love, and self assertion.

It's believed that Jesus may have also been making a reference to martyrdom. The one who, under trial, seemingly saves his life by renouncing Christ actually loses it; but the one who remains faithful suffers martyrdom for acknowledging his faith in Christ seems to have lost his life but actually finds his life in Christ.

What is the practical application of Jesus' words for us as we live each day? Simply stated, we must get our priorities in the right order. We can become so busy and preoccupied with our own lives that our priorities become upside down. The least important becomes most important. The most important becomes least important. The valueless becomes most valuable and the most valuable becomes a mere trinket in our flawed value systems.

The more we love the things of this world (leisure, power, popularity, wealth), the more we discover how relatively unimportant they are in God's grand scheme of things. The life Christ wants for us can only be achieved by loosening our greedy grasp on earthly rewards and follow Christ with His eternal rewards. Then we will understand and claim the promises of our lord when He said, "I have come that they (we) may have life and have it to the full" (John 10:10 NIV).

Our Lord wants our lives to be abundantly full and rich in Him, both here on earth and in eternity, and our eternal lives begin the moment we pray to receive Him as personal Lord and Savior. Have you claimed Christ's offer in your life? Are you living for Christ or for yourself?

Love, Jerry & Dotse