Matthew 10:39 (NKJV) 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Our lives are not our own. Yes, we can make decisions and choices as to what we want to do each day. We can go here or go there. We can make plans and pursue certain things. But those are just “surface” things.
If we really look at our lives, they were given to us by the One who created us. Our lives are God-given, not the making of any human being.
God has given them to us. And in return, He wants us to give them back, so to speak. No, He’s not asking us to sacrifice our lives literally, dying for Him as a way of thanking Him.
Yes, there may be times when our faith could possibly literally cost us our life, but that’s not what Jesus is referring to here. He is talking about surrendering ourselves to Him on a daily basis, letting Him have eminence over our lives in a way that benefits the kingdom of God.
Repentance, loving others, forgiving those who hurt us, sowing our finances into God’s kingdom, helping those in need of help, showing mercy to those around us and so many other things are all part of laying our lives down and surrendering to Him.
Jesus also mentioned “taking up our cross”.
Luke 9:23 (NKJV) 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
We “take up our cross” by surrendering to Him. Our cross isn’t a specific thing, like an ailment or affliction, like some might say. An affliction is just that, an affliction. Afflictions are not God’s way of compelling us into surrendering to Him.
Taking up our cross involves all of the things mentioned above regarding serving others and serving God, by making ourselves available to Him, to be used in whatever way He needs us to be used.
Children of God, it’s time for us to lay our lives down, to surrender them to Him in a way that we have never done before.
And as we do this, as we lose our lives for Him, only then will we truly find them.
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808
401-315-0902
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