Losing And Saving

Read: Luke 9:21-27

[Jesus said,] “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.” Luke 9:24

IN WORD

A vacuum cleaner is always pulling, sucking, drawing in whatever it can. Its direction is inward. Other objects, like a fan or a leaf blower, may blow outward, giving off rather than pulling in, but there’s nothing outward about the vacuum. It’s constantly trying to fill an empty space.

By nature—our fallen nature, that is—human beings are like vacuum cleaners. We’re always trying to get what’s outside of us and bring it into our own territory. We’re always trying to fill an empty space by attracting things to ourselves—relationships, possessions, positions, achievements, interesting experiences, and more. We’re accumulators trying to fill our lives up, trying to grab life wherever we can get it.

Jesus told His followers that’s not the way to life. In fact, it leads to death, or at least a sense of deadness that keeps us feeling empty. The way to life is altogether different; it’s to stop trying to grab life and instead become a giver of it. We forget about ourselves and invest in others. We become God-focused rather than self-focused. We are more intent on giving than receiving. That’s the Kingdom culture. That’s life.

Martyrdom is one example of a sacrificial life that gives for the sake of others, and specifically for the sake of God, but Jesus was referring to more than martyrdom. He was referring to our direction. Are we pulling in or flowing out? Are we our own center of gravity, or do we revolve around Him and others? Are we desperately trying to save our own lives—to grab life-giving things and experiences—or willingly offering life-giving support to those around us? One way leads to death, the other to life as it was meant to be.

IN DEED

Learn to flow outward. Forget about grabbing everything you can. Don’t pursue your own fulfillment, whether in people, places, possessions, positions, or anything else. Flip the switch that changes the direction of your flow, and experience life coming into you from above.

ADDITIONAL READING: Acts 20:32-35

The more a man denies himself, the more he shall obtain from God.

HORACE BUSHNELL