Give It Away

Luk 17:33 LITV
(33) Whoever seeks to save his life, he will lose it. And whoever will lose it, he will preserve it.

Pastor says that you only get to keep what you are willing to give away. It's yet another irony in a bible full of ironies. We must die to live. There is fullness in denying the flesh. That which seems right only leads to death... ironies. So if I love my life, I will lose it? John said it like this:

Joh 12:25 LITV
(25) The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to everlasting life.

What exactly does this mean, then? Because I had a great time at the lake yesterday.

It means that if we are living for anything other than God's purpose in our lives, we are in danger of taking nothing permanent - or of value - out of this world. We will lose it - whatever 'it' is. Some people speak of legacy. What kind of legacy are we leaving? Is it a statue in a museum that tells 100 visitors per day how many yards I ran in my career? Or maybe it's simply my child, who is on fire for the Living God and tells everyone at school about Jesus. That - has - value!

I've heard the argument made that God gave Jesus for us, yet He didn't really lose Him, because He knew He could raise Him from the dead. What a horrible thought to think (I'm guilty). Yet God received Jesus again to Himself only because He was first willing to give Him. This is why Isaac came back down the mountain with Abraham. This is why the one servant was called 'evil' when he buried the money entrusted to him. Here is what the master said:

Mat 25:27-28 LITV
(27) Then you ought to have put my silver to the bankers, and coming I would have received my own with interest.
(28) Therefore, take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.

There is no reward for no risk. We have what we have so that we can give it away.