Give Up
July 27, 2009
Jesus always had a unique way of putting things into perspective for his listeners. He was a man of many good works and a man of many good words. On one such occasion Jesus sent out his seventy disciples in what is now known as the “Limited Commission”. Jesus says to them in Matthew 10:39 “Those who try to hold on to their lives will give up true life. Those who give up their lives for me will hold on to true life.” Interesting isn’t it? That the way to find true life in this life and the next is to give up something.
For many of us we don’t want to give up something, instead we would rather hang on even if it means hanging on by a thread. The disciples would never reach the lost sheep of Israel as long as they were unwilling to let go of what truly did not matter. The church today will never reach the lost sheep of the world as long as we are unwilling to give up something. We may have to give up our time, our money, our energy, our interests, or any other thing that would get in the way of following Jesus. Jesus with his life showed us what it was like to give up something in order to gain something. What have I given up today to gain the true life found in Jesus?
