Luke 9:23-25 (NASBStr)
And He was saying to them all, “ If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?
Christianity is often called the "upside-down" religion. The reason for this moniker is the teaching of the above verses of our Lord. Every sin we have ever been wrapped up in is based on the opposite of what Jesus tells us here, in this passage. The world tells us to grab for what we can get. The world tells us to strive to satisfy our longings. The world and the flesh crave to fulfill the needs, wants and desires of our corrupt hearts. But, Jesus says differently. It is interesting that these words in Luke's account of the life of Jesus come on the very heals of the 5,000 men be feed from a very small surplus. Their physical cravings were the very reason for the miracle of our Lord. God wanted them to be satisfied in their bodies. And, the Scripture says they were very satisfied. Yet, within a few moments the disciples are instructed that satisfying the body is not what God wants us to pursue. Instead we are to deny the wants, desires and needs of the body. God wants us to turn it upside down and deny those things and follow Him ... in life and in death. We are to deny the satisfying of our life for the sole purpose of following Jesus. IF, we are able to gain the whole world and satisfy every longing of our corrupt souls, what good would it be if (and it is more than an if) we lose our very soul? Seek to satisfy the physical and we forfeit the eternal. Christ says deny to get. Christ says give up to gain. Christ says to lose it to find it. Christianity is backward. It is not about us and our desires. It is about forsaking us to find fulfillment and satisfaction in Christ and Christ alone.
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