The Value of Being Lost

Luke 9:24
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”

These verses contain a great wealth of truth and richness, but I feel compelled to focus on only one verse today.  Verse 24 states simply that the economy and reality of the Kingdom of Heaven is completely opposite from human expectations and understanding.  In seeking to save one’s life, one loses it, but losing one’s life for Christ sake saves it.

Central to this statement is the word translated “life.”  It is the Greek word – ψυχή psychē – literally breath; thus one’s life, soul.  The word encompasses that which is the essence of one’s person and being.  This word is used predominately in the Gospels and used by Jesus to describe that part of man which exists beyond physical death, thus one’s soul.

In the economy of the Kingdom, only those things done by the King or for Him will last.  All self-effort and personal works done in one’s own strength or for one’s own sake will fail and vanish.  Why is this so hard to see?  I struggle with this daily looking at what I do , what I can do, and what I ought to do as if the doing on my own has some merit or value, when the truth is that I must cast these “doings” into His hands, let Him direct my will, and in obedience to His will, I must spend myself.  That is losing my soul for His sake, and in that loss, He keeps me.

The difficulty lies not in my understanding of the truth of what Jesus said, but in the residual, nagging belief that in my own effort and intelligence, there lies some goodness that makes my ideas of what is best and right equal if not superior to what Jesus has planned for me.  I know this is the oldest lie of the devil, but it still finds a home in my self-will and sinful nature.  Know this, Paul commanded me to daily make myself the sacrifice and burn up that self-will as an offering to Him who alone is True and Good and Worthy.

Coram deo