Don't Lose Your Life
“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Mark 8:35
There are many today that would like Jesus to be their Savior and not their Lord, but you can't split Jesus that way. He could not be Savior without being Lord. So if you can't have Jesus as your Lord, you can't have Jesus as your Savior.
Why is it that many would have Jesus as their Savior, but not Lord? They want the benefits of salvation, like forgiveness, answered prayers and eternal life, but they don't want to give up control of their lives. They believe that following Jesus would mean that they will lose certain things they want to hold unto. They want to be free to do certain things like engage in sexual promiscuity, use drugs, or live for the love of money. They believe that following Jesus would restrict their lives and rob them of happiness. But the truth is that true happiness is found in Jesus. To refuse Jesus because you want to hold unto a sin or be in control of your own life is the greatest folly.
Have you ever seen a monkey trap? It contains a hole large enough for a monkey's hand to fit in and reach a banana, but not large enough for a monkey's clutched fist holding the banana to come out. The traps are used to catch monkeys that lack the wisdom and understanding to let go of the banana and run away. In the same way, many today are deceived. They will lose out on the eternal joy of following Jesus for believing the lie that they will lose something worthwhile if they give their lives to Jesus. Don't lose the life God gave you. Give it to Jesus. With love so amazing and so divine, He gave His life for you. He's all you need.
Recently, I came across a true story written down by David Needham that illustrates the life giving love of Jesus. The story is about a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance of recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was an ideal donor.
The Lord Jesus, the sovereign God of the universe, gave His life for you. You would be foolish not to give your life to Him. True happiness is not found in living for self. True happiness finds you when you give your life to Jesus and keep giving it away to serve a worthy cause. You don’t gain your life by keeping it, but by giving it up first to Jesus and then to serving others to the glory of His name.
In your service,
Pastor Marco
There are many today that would like Jesus to be their Savior and not their Lord, but you can't split Jesus that way. He could not be Savior without being Lord. So if you can't have Jesus as your Lord, you can't have Jesus as your Savior.
Why is it that many would have Jesus as their Savior, but not Lord? They want the benefits of salvation, like forgiveness, answered prayers and eternal life, but they don't want to give up control of their lives. They believe that following Jesus would mean that they will lose certain things they want to hold unto. They want to be free to do certain things like engage in sexual promiscuity, use drugs, or live for the love of money. They believe that following Jesus would restrict their lives and rob them of happiness. But the truth is that true happiness is found in Jesus. To refuse Jesus because you want to hold unto a sin or be in control of your own life is the greatest folly.
Have you ever seen a monkey trap? It contains a hole large enough for a monkey's hand to fit in and reach a banana, but not large enough for a monkey's clutched fist holding the banana to come out. The traps are used to catch monkeys that lack the wisdom and understanding to let go of the banana and run away. In the same way, many today are deceived. They will lose out on the eternal joy of following Jesus for believing the lie that they will lose something worthwhile if they give their lives to Jesus. Don't lose the life God gave you. Give it to Jesus. With love so amazing and so divine, He gave His life for you. He's all you need.
Recently, I came across a true story written down by David Needham that illustrates the life giving love of Jesus. The story is about a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance of recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was an ideal donor.
“Would you give your blood to Mary?” the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, “Sure, for my sister.” Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room. Mary, pale and thin, Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned.
As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny’s smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube. With the ordeal almost over, Johnny’s voice, slightly shaky, broke the silence. “Doctor, when do I die?” Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he agreed to donate his blood. He thought giving his blood to his sister would mean giving up his life. In that brief moment, he had made his great decision. This young boy was willing to give up his own life to save his sister. What amazing love! Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13).
The Lord Jesus, the sovereign God of the universe, gave His life for you. You would be foolish not to give your life to Him. True happiness is not found in living for self. True happiness finds you when you give your life to Jesus and keep giving it away to serve a worthy cause. You don’t gain your life by keeping it, but by giving it up first to Jesus and then to serving others to the glory of His name.
In your service,
Pastor Marco