March 29 – Living Martyrs (Matthew 16: 24-27)

“Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.”(Matthew 16:25)

IN WORD:
Most people in this world have an approach to life that is all about them. It isn’t necessarily selfish, it’s just self-oriented. Those without very much in terms of material wealth live in survival mode, just trying to get by for now. Those a little better off live in prosperity mode, just trying to get ahead for awhile. In each case, we tend to look for “the next thing.” The next job, the next paycheck, the next big event, the next relationship, the next purchase — we are on an endless track toward improving our lives.
What’s wrong with that? It isn’t how Jesus defines discipleship. No, Jesus calls His followers to “lose” their lives. Those who are wise will not focus on “the next thing,” they will focus on “the last thing” — God’s Kingdom and the reign of His Son as Lord over all. Jesus isn’t speaking to His disciples about martyrdom in this passage. He is speaking of lifestyle. Those who know about eternity will live for it. That has powerful implications.
We’d prefer to think that we can do both, living for now and eternity at the same time. But we can’t. Many of our decisions will compel us to choose one or the other. Yes, we can have a fancy sports car or a dream vacation and still go to heaven. But we can’t have those things and still invest the cost of them toward something eternal. Likewise, we can waste time recklessly and still go to heaven. But we can’t waste time and invest that same time in an eternal work. We frequently make choices between the now and the eternal.

IN DEED:
Jesus never tells us to live spartan lives, as though we were ascetic monks isolated in a desert of self-denial. But He does tell us to be wise. We can enjoy His bounty, but we will be much happier if we realize what makes for a bountiful eternity. How doe we do that? We stop trying to “save” our lives and we lose them. Take your focus off “the next thing” and invest in “the last thing” — the Kingdom of God.

“He who has no vision of eternity will never get a true hold of time.” -Thomas Carlyle-