Luke 9:23-24, "Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.' "
Jesus' words surprises a lot of us, even the high priest, Pharisees, and Sadduces during his days on earth. I mean, how many of us don't want to save our own lives? We tend to hang onto it with deep passion. We strive to build up our lives with our own purposes with anything we can think of - our reputation, our families, our friends, our careers, our accomplishments, our health, our recreation, our things, our ideas, and so on... Honestly, I can think of some things that is difficult for me to let go of and recently the Lord spoke to my heart (again) to challenge me. It hurt and it's hard, but it's not impossible.
What things, people, or idea do you cling to in this present day to define your life - makes you feel alive? (Take a minute to think about this). Now, ask yourself this: Am I attached to these things, people, or idea? Whether your answer is a yes or no, now ask yourself this: How do I measure my own reaction if God takes these things, people, or idea away from me? These are what we've created as our idols when fill ourselves with these false props to make us feel good, feel alive, feel like we're worthy. God says there's a better way and this way requires change, sacrifice, and leads to life. How?
Jesus says we must stop clinging to these things, but here's the catch. He actually condemns us of this natural tendency. God must first take them away, and we must let go of them. You may think that hurts and it's true because it's the only life that we've ever known. The truth is that the things we fill our void with in this world will never truly satisfy and it's always temporary. And that's the problem, we seek fulfillment in unworthy things - things that will not last.
I'm thinking about the things that I love to do such as running. I have often wondered what if one day I'm not able to run anymore. Whatever the reason may be, I just cannot picture myself not running. The thought is depressing for me. I remember a few times when I had ailments that prevented me from running for a few days, such as sickness or low back pain. I felt devastated and it brought me much closer to the Lord in showing me the true meaning of where my heart is at the moment. I know that running is just simply a pleasure that I have in this world, but it's not the ultimate thing that will last. Yes, there are many days I run for the joy of the Lord. It's my time of prayer and meditation. What I need to remember is that it's not the running that makes me feel better, but it's Jesus that came in and fills my soul. Life is so much more than just running and that's JESUS!
You may genuinely feel like you're losing your life when you let something go, but ultimately it's a way to save it according to Jesus. Jesus says to loosen your clutch and to let go. When you truly begin to do that, you will begin to experience the true life God wants you to experience! Maybe it doesn't make sense to you now, but eventually it will! The Lord will show you when you keep seeking Him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13). And remember that God's ways is always right:
Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
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