“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:25
Dear Ones:
It was said by those who heard Him, that no man spoke as did the Lord Jesus. Why? We know that what He said was accompanied by authority, for with the same authority He cast out demons. It is true also that when He spoke, storms were stilled, and the dead were raised to life. Out of the same heart of compassion that healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, giving eternal hope to the hopeless, came other words…words of equal authority, which resound throughout the gospels. They pertain to truly following Christ, knowing Him, and being His servants on earth, to bring eternal blessing upon those around them. At first glance, they seem like harsh words, difficult to understand and grasp, much less to live by. But on closer analysis, and consideration, we see that there is not only a reason for them, a logic of wisdom, but a power by which men can KNOW a rest of soul, and the experience of the very life of God. They have to do with a denying of oneself, a daily taking up of a cross, and then, a following of Christ as Lord of the life. Why does the Lord Jesus speak of these three things? What do they mean, and how are they to be lived by…for they are a “daily” matter?
The first thing we see is that He addresses the issue of “oneself,” or as the Lord so clearly says, “…his life.” What does the Lord mean? In the Garden of Eden, just after Adam and Eve sinned against God, Scripture reveals to us that they became self-conscious, self absorbed. They sought to hide themselves from the Lord our of fear, because of their shame. Ever since that day, all men were born, with the exception of Christ, with that pernicious, preoccupation with self. Instead of God, everything revolves around man, his “life,” all that pertains to his existence. When Jesus speaks of denying oneself, he speaks of turning one’s gaze and attention away from this obsession with one’s life, from one’s own way. The redeeming work of Christ on the cross was accomplished so that we would have the power to turn away from ourselves, to turn again to God, to give Him our undivided attention and devotion. This is why the Lord Jesus tells us how to recognize this self life. It is one which is continually preoccupied with “saving,” or preserving, his existence. He is so absorbed with this pursuit, that the Lord says, he “loves” his life. Sadly, he has become his own idol. The Lord then specifically addresses these issues by saying, “Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake shall find it.” (Matt. 16:25) He also adds in John’s gospel, “He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (12:25) God never created man to be dominated by himself. He is declaring that there is something far greater, and more wonderful, than the defective and disastrous preoccupation with sinful self, it’s aspirations, desires, and goals. That “Something” for which Christ died, is the knowledge and experience of His life, Life eternal.
The second imperative to grasp in order to follow and know Christ, is the taking up of the “daily” cross. It was Wesley who penned the following words: “Let nothing now my heart divide, since with Thee I am crucified, and live to God in Thee.” The daily cross is an act and attitude of faith and obedience, based on the finished work of Christ on Calvary, renewed every morning, whereby I (sinful, independent self) accept and embrace the fact that, in Christ, I am crucified with Christ,…Christ lives in me,…and I live by the faith of the Son of God.” (Gal. 2:20)
Lastly, to follow Christ is to walk with Him, abiding in Him, and He in us.
Dear Father, give us grace this day, to deny ourselves, take up our individual cross, and follow thy Son, wherever He leads. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad