John 12:25 "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
Jesus is about to sacrifice his life for all of humanity and he challenges his followers to also be ready to give up their life for him. He tells us to not love our life here on earth, but instead focus on eternal life. This is a tough teaching! Jesus wants us to be prepared to lose it all for him.
Many of the early followers of Jesus did in fact give their life for Jesus. Someone once said, "martyrs died for their faith, all we have to do is live for ours." I think we have to both live for our faith and be prepared to give it all. And that is very easy to say and write, but when the rubber meets the road, am I willing to give up everything for Christ? And in what ways can I lose my life each day and focus on Jesus and eternal life?
Dear Jesus, help me to live my life completely for you. Amen.
