Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
This statement by Jesus reminds me a bit of the Beatitudes where Jesus makes a series of seemingly contradictory statements that end up meaning so much that it seems like Jesus went into the Department Store of Life and switched all the price tags. The things that the world has taught us to value actually have no eternal value, and the things the world cares little about actually are worth more than we can even imagine.
In this statement Jesus speaks to the core value of life itself. We can cling to life, scratch out our own existence, fight our way up the ladder, grab everything we can hold onto and protect what we have carved out at all costs -only to discover that we still have nothing and it was all in vain. Or we can surrender all to Jesus and His Kingdom and discover growing in us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, which is all we ever really wanted anyway.
This is a good reminder of how we cling to this life when Jesus said a man must not love the world or anything in it: 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. (jn 12:25) I love to learn more about Heaven..since that is my real home. Keep preaching/teaching it, Brother.
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