InChristAlone
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Matthew 10:37-39
"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
"And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."
"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
We have a high calling. We, as disciples of Christ, are called to prefer Christ above all else . We exist for His glory. In this passage, there are three ways in which we are to prefer Christ:
1) before our nearest and dearest relations
2) before our ease and safety
3) before life itself
I focused on v. 39. Christ repeated this profound phrase many times. In John 12:25, it is presented in a similar manner.
"He that loveth his life shall lose it: and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
What does it mean to "lose" my life? I believe this implies laying down all earthly holds and claims to myself. It means a complete denying of self in order to gain Christ. In other words, if I continue to try to hold on to my life, I will give up true life. Loving my own life will cause me to lose any sense of real purpose. My life will become a reckless mess. I will simply be existing--but for what? My reasoning will be to do what only pleases me. Where will that lead? That is not really living, it is wasting my time here.
Losing my life means despising self-gratification. Preferring Christ above life itself will not cause me to lose my purpose, but instead make it clearer than ever before. Living will mean being disciplined to live for His glory and for His own "good pleasure." It does not imply that I am a slave, but rather a servant. Again, I am denying self in order to gain Christ.
Can many of us recall our sense of purpose before we gained access into Christ's kingdom? To lose my life for Christ means that I am not just existing anymore, I am truly living. I have been moved into the purpose for which I was created by God's grace alone. He is our Creator King as well as the Redeemer of His Creation.
Lately, I have had to ask myself these questions regarding what place Christ has in my heart:
1) Do I try to hold on to my life instead of submitting every part to Jesus Christ?
2) If so, is it because of pride, thinking I know what is best for me, or because I am afraid of what I might lose in following Christ?
3)Have I reached the place where I truly believe that Christ is gain?
What I have come to realize through studying this passage more closely is that to deny Christ by clinging to a claim on my life is to lose sight of my whole existence. Jesus Christ is Life. I did not know what living was until I became His child. I now live under the precious blood of Jesus Christ and understand that "to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)
Here is a quote from Matthew Henry to meditate on:
"They are best prepared for the life to come, that sit most loose to this present life."
"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
"And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."
"He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."
We have a high calling. We, as disciples of Christ, are called to prefer Christ above all else . We exist for His glory. In this passage, there are three ways in which we are to prefer Christ:
1) before our nearest and dearest relations
2) before our ease and safety
3) before life itself
I focused on v. 39. Christ repeated this profound phrase many times. In John 12:25, it is presented in a similar manner.
"He that loveth his life shall lose it: and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
What does it mean to "lose" my life? I believe this implies laying down all earthly holds and claims to myself. It means a complete denying of self in order to gain Christ. In other words, if I continue to try to hold on to my life, I will give up true life. Loving my own life will cause me to lose any sense of real purpose. My life will become a reckless mess. I will simply be existing--but for what? My reasoning will be to do what only pleases me. Where will that lead? That is not really living, it is wasting my time here.
Losing my life means despising self-gratification. Preferring Christ above life itself will not cause me to lose my purpose, but instead make it clearer than ever before. Living will mean being disciplined to live for His glory and for His own "good pleasure." It does not imply that I am a slave, but rather a servant. Again, I am denying self in order to gain Christ.
Can many of us recall our sense of purpose before we gained access into Christ's kingdom? To lose my life for Christ means that I am not just existing anymore, I am truly living. I have been moved into the purpose for which I was created by God's grace alone. He is our Creator King as well as the Redeemer of His Creation.
Lately, I have had to ask myself these questions regarding what place Christ has in my heart:
1) Do I try to hold on to my life instead of submitting every part to Jesus Christ?
2) If so, is it because of pride, thinking I know what is best for me, or because I am afraid of what I might lose in following Christ?
3)Have I reached the place where I truly believe that Christ is gain?
What I have come to realize through studying this passage more closely is that to deny Christ by clinging to a claim on my life is to lose sight of my whole existence. Jesus Christ is Life. I did not know what living was until I became His child. I now live under the precious blood of Jesus Christ and understand that "to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)
Here is a quote from Matthew Henry to meditate on:
"They are best prepared for the life to come, that sit most loose to this present life."
posted by Heather Livingston at 11:38 AM
2 Comments:
My greatest gains are the things I lost when I submit to the will of God.
Great thoughts!
Only when I trusted Christ as my Savior did I really start enjoying my life. Only when I surrendered to God's will for my life did I began to truely live.
My life would be in vain and without purpose if it were not lived to glorify God. I praise Him everyday for the grace He gives me to give up everything for Him so that His name is glorified through me. It is all about God and nothing about me. I praise Him choosing to use me as His instrument to show others Christ. Thank You Lord!!!!
Michelle
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