A Reflection On Living For The Eternal

When I need to lose my life

Most of us are self-oriented, always looking 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. Yet Jesus calls His followers to give up their lives. Those who are wise will focus on “the last thing”—God’s Kingdom and the reign of His Son as Lord over all.

We can’t live both for now and for eternity. Many of our decisions will compel us to choose one or the other. We can’t acquire expensive possessions and invest the cost of those possessions toward something eternal, or waste time and invest that time in eternal work. We can enjoy His bounty, but we will be much happier if we realize what makes for a bountiful eternity. How do 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.

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

Matthew 16:25