Discipleship & Life and DeathSample

Living by dying

Jesus tells His disciples several times that anyone who wants to keep his life will lose it and that anyone who loses it for Jesus' sake will keep it. That's quite a statement. And Jesus is not a teacher in a classroom - He Himself sets the example. He gave His life and went into death. John describes in his gospel how everything becomes silent as Jesus' heart stopped beating; as the hands that carry the world die; as the voice that created the earth stilled. Jesus gave himself completely.

Jesus teaches us that the grain of wheat must die because without dying it cannot bear fruit, but by dying, much fruit comes. Here Jesus does not say how much fruit, but I immediately think of Jesus' parable where He speaks of 100-fold, 60-fold and 30-fold (Matthew 13:1-9). Dying is necessary; through death comes life. Jesus showed it Himself: He died.

And what fruit came through this dying! Death has been overcome. We serve a living Lord! Jesus with His life freed the people He loved so they can live again as He intended them to live - in relationship with the Father and in relationship with one another. In Jesus we have a shining example of what it is to live only for God.

Jesus' attitude has everything to do with His commitment: He only wanted to do what the Father asked of Him - even if it cost Him everything, and so He went on to death.

Here in the West, our faith is often not about life & death. We sometimes experience inconveniences, but there is often a stark contrast between our experience and the experiences of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. Jesus outlines this other reality in John 15: "As they persecuted Me they will also persecute you.” That is the norm.

Jesus gave everything for us. And that should be our example. Now I'm not advocating extreme and weird initiatives here, you can just use your mind - and remember that Jesus regularly asks you to do the 'not logical' things and go the extra mile...thereby dying to yourself. Ultimately, Jesus indicates that suffering is a part of life if you follow Him, and that sacrifice is the norm.

Jim Elliot wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

What are you living for?

Take the following questions to ponder:

• What are you learning from Jesus' focus?
• What are you living for? What might that cost you?
• What would you be willing to give your life for? Why?

Prayer:

Take time to pray for this theme "Life & Death". Ask God what He wants to teach you this week and what this means for you. Specifically, what is God asking of you in the time ahead?