“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (John 12:25)
And not only hate our own lives, but hate mother, father and all others we hold dear, as well as to hate this world and to despise all that it offers. Deny your lusts, both of the things you see and that which your flesh craves, refrain from all pride, seek absolutely nothing for yourself.
Anything done outside of the will of God is to be seen as self-centered, selfish and in some cases even sinful, and many times may cause chastisement from the Almighty. See yourself as nothing more than dust, all that you receive count yourself unworthy to receive, submit every aspect of your life to His will, accept everything that comes to you, and be content continuously.
Try witnessing to someone who does not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior with those opening words and see what type of reaction you get from them.
Now, reach out to someone who professes to serve the Living God with those same words and see if they are in agreement with them. Bring Isaiah 64:6 to their attention and watch their reaction.
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
With many of them you will catch a glimpse of pride, probably an excuse in an attempt to show their worthiness in being called by the Most High. In no matter the form of the question offered to them, be it of the materialistic worldly goods they possess or in matters of the current state of their heart, their Spirituality so to speak, you will see many of them react as the rich young man did.
“But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” (Matt. 19:22)
Everything, all the time, with no concern whatsoever for our own welfare, for our desires, for our wants. That is the price of the cross.
You will rarely hear these truths from behind the pulpit today, most who do have the courage to go out into all the world to seek the lost rarely will begin their witness for the Lord Jesus Christ with these truths, and even before they ask those they meet if they would like to “Accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior” will not reveal these truths to them. They are an afterthought, held back from their lips so that only His love is known by those they speak to.
Is it any wonder so many only profess Him with their lips, is it any wonder the truth of Mark 4:19 is revealed later in the lives of so many?
“And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”
“If you love me, die to every desire you have that is not in accord with my will, count all of your past accomplishments as dung, understand full well that you can do nothing without me, and that the only things you can do that matter, that have eternal substance, can only be done through me.”
Here is the price of the cross of Christ, everything, all the time, always in love for Him who first loved us, solely, only and always for His glory.
Dead men and women, yet still alive, devoting every aspect of the entirety of their lives to Him who saved us from His wrath.
What do you think? Do you believe that you should reveal all these truths to those you meet before you ask them if they would like to be born-again? I will guarantee you this, most of them will say “No thank you.”
But those who understand the love that went to the cross for them will gladly, and without reservation pick up their cross, give their burdens to Him, and follow Him, no matter where He leads them.
