Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it.
{Verse 33}
So, we've heard Jesus say this before, but are you asking, what does this mean?
This past Sunday, our pastor, Tom Kelby was away and an elder spoke at church. He used Francis' illustration to show how insignificant pleasuring this life on earth is in comparison to building up the kingdom of eternity. I think this video answers our question. What does it mean to preserve your life? It means preserving this life- life on earth- the red tape part! You work so hard to accomplish certain goals, save up money to buy desired things- your sight ends at where the red tape ends. You lose sight of the eternal picture. You are so concerned about your life here, that you forget about eternity! You do all you can to enjoy this life, and all the while forgetting or ignoring Jesus. If that's the case, Jesus says in verse 33: "Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it...". Your never-ending rope? Yeah, you got one, but the life you live after the red tape won't be with Jesus. Remember our study yesterday? The rich man begged Abraham to warn his brothers not to follow in his footsteps. What were his footsteps? He cared all about the red tape part of his life, forgetting about the rest.
I believe this video also answers the second part of our question, What does it mean to lose your life and find it? I'm sure most of you reading this already know the answer to that after the video. Losing your life means to die to this life on earth- your plans, your agendas, your timeline, your goals, your worries, etc. It means living for the eternal rope and using the red tape part of your life to establish His kingdom (rule, reign, dominion, authority) in your life and let Him use you for His purposes. Trust me- I've only been doing that wholeheartedly for a couple years. I called myself a Christian, and most of the people around me would say that I looked like one. But I tell you the truth- I lived for the red tape. And as Francis said, we all do at times because the world tempts us to live that way- everybody else lives that way. But we need to realize and live for the big picture. We need to see the whole rope and realize this life on earth is only a itty-bitty fraction of it. When we surrender our life to Jesus and let Him rule and reign our lives, it will look different that what you planned our for yourself. But it will have purpose and meaning, and the things you do will matter. The things you do will have eternal purposes and reward. Like Francis said too, he thinks it's crazy when he sees people living like they do when they don't know if their life could be over tomorrow. They gained the whole world but forfeited their soul. {Luke 9:25} How important is the red tape part of your life? Are you willing to forfeit your soul over it? Jesus said that if we die to ourselves (lose your life) we will find it. Finding our life means finding freedom and eternity with Him! Yes, living for the whole rope will look crazy. You will be mocked. But you will be pleasing the King and you will be blessed abundantly for your choice to live for Him.
What are you doing with your life? Are you preserving it or are you losing it?
~Leanne~
I believe this video also answers the second part of our question, What does it mean to lose your life and find it? I'm sure most of you reading this already know the answer to that after the video. Losing your life means to die to this life on earth- your plans, your agendas, your timeline, your goals, your worries, etc. It means living for the eternal rope and using the red tape part of your life to establish His kingdom (rule, reign, dominion, authority) in your life and let Him use you for His purposes. Trust me- I've only been doing that wholeheartedly for a couple years. I called myself a Christian, and most of the people around me would say that I looked like one. But I tell you the truth- I lived for the red tape. And as Francis said, we all do at times because the world tempts us to live that way- everybody else lives that way. But we need to realize and live for the big picture. We need to see the whole rope and realize this life on earth is only a itty-bitty fraction of it. When we surrender our life to Jesus and let Him rule and reign our lives, it will look different that what you planned our for yourself. But it will have purpose and meaning, and the things you do will matter. The things you do will have eternal purposes and reward. Like Francis said too, he thinks it's crazy when he sees people living like they do when they don't know if their life could be over tomorrow. They gained the whole world but forfeited their soul. {Luke 9:25} How important is the red tape part of your life? Are you willing to forfeit your soul over it? Jesus said that if we die to ourselves (lose your life) we will find it. Finding our life means finding freedom and eternity with Him! Yes, living for the whole rope will look crazy. You will be mocked. But you will be pleasing the King and you will be blessed abundantly for your choice to live for Him.
What are you doing with your life? Are you preserving it or are you losing it?
~Leanne~
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