Matthew 16: Disciple Qualification, Loss
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25 (NKJV)
What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
Philippians 3:7-8 (NKJV)
Worldly loss is a theme of the Bible, and many heroes seemed to lose so much. From Adam and Eve, to Noah and Job, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Naomi, David, AND the nation of Israel.
God lost His Own Son to crucifixion. But FOLLOWING EACH LOSS… came greater gain.
Does this biblically based certainty make our losses easier to endure? YES. Like a high window in a prison cell, like a sliver of light in the darkness…
We believe the Lord will free us from pain and RESTORE our lives better than before. Can this promise be hard to remember? Yes.
Actors, models, and talent for Christ:
Some losses are voluntary losses. Peter and most of the first disciples sacrificed their jobs, homes, plans, and comforts to follow Jesus into grave danger.
Their consequential gains aren't known to us, but the gains of the church were enormous.*
' 'Truly I tell you,' Jesus said to them, 'no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come, eternal life' ' (Luke 18:29-30).
Other losses are involuntary. Job didn’t want (or cause) his disasters, although his closest friends wrongly assumed Job's terrible plight resulted from sin.
But following his arduous trials, 'The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the former part' (Job 42:12).
Conclusion?
Every Christian MUST be willing to lose, especially all the things of this world, knowing that our future gains will be great: greater than anything we can have, hold, hook, hoard, haul, hang, or handle on our own.
Matthew 16: Disciple Qualification, Loss (Part 24)
* Short article: Church Growth by Multiplication | Ministry127
* 'Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved' (Acts 2:46-47).
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God! We’re ALL called to be actors (action stars) for Jesus. We’re ALL called to models of Jesus, and we ALL have gifts, talents, and callings from God– to multiply them in the world for His glory.
P.S. NO DEVOTION, PREACHER, or SERMON… can begin to replace personal time in the Bible. I wholeheartedly and clear-headedly recommend READING THE BIBLE DAILY.
WARNING: Don’t focus on favorite verses, because out of context, they’re often misinterpreted. I plead with you to READ AT LEAST 1 BIBLE CHAPTER DAILY. How long does it take? An average of 5 to 10 minutes!