Do what it is worth dying to do. Do what God has us doing in His love.
"Let all that you do be done with love." (1 Corinthians 16:14)
"'He who loves his life will lose it; but he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.'" (John 12:25)
So, it looks like Jesus here is really saying that if we love our own lives, we will lose them. I can see how this can work. If I live only or mainly for my own self, my selfish nature and ways can help to cause me to get into trouble which I would not suffer if I was trusting God and always submitting to how He guides me and takes care of me. While I am sinning I am not safe; no sin is safe. And my selfish and possessing ways can help to get ones I love hurt and even killed.
In the news we hear about people getting into various tragedies, but often they were where they should not have been, doing what is either vain or obviously wrong and selfish.
And I think of how Jesus clearly says that if we love our lives, we will lose them. We can lose our lives by dying . . . or by losing things and people and relationships of our lives, I consider this can mean. People lose their relationships because of how they themselves were just trying to use someone, and because they did not make sure with God about who they got involved with, in the first place.
The spirit of the selfishness can help make me an easier target for evil, even attracting what would not be able to get to me if I were with God and if ones I care for were obeying God.
So, yes, I would say, there are people who are victims and legally innocent, but they have been living for themselves in ways which helped make them available to tragedy. An easy example would be a prostitute who gets killed by a serial killer of prostitutes. He or she might not deserve that, but sin is not fair. If we operate in sin, we are operating in Satan's kingdom which is not caring and fair!!
And if parents have brought up their children in worldly ways, the parents might not do drugs, for example, but their worldly children can. And they might not deserve to die, but ones selling drugs can include undetected poisonous or overdosing substances, which they would not be taking if they were living for God.
And Jesus does guarantee that if a person loves one's life he or she will lose it. But God cares for us; Jesus suffered and died like He did, on the cross, suffering so much more than we might in our selfish living . . . suffering like that much, in order to keep us from losing all.
So, He is not interested only in judging people who live foolishly and lose their lives; and we need to have compassion > know what the problem can be, but want all which is good for people whose selfishness might have helped make them available to their tragedies and other losses.
Yes, some losses can be for the person's own good
And do what is worthwhile to do, what is worth dying for doing. Then we will be in God's care and His control of if and when we do die.
But the motive for living for God needs to not be only so people do not lose their lives, but because we first love You God our Father and desire to please You and love each and every person the way You please.
If fear of dying is our motive,
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)
Also, Jesus died "that He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (in Hebrews 2:14-15)
So, in case fear of death is our motive for playing it safe, and trying to make things secure, this fear can help to make sure we do die or suffer loss of things in our self-dependent lives. We need to depend on the LORD >
"casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
Then, even if we could die sooner because of living for Jesus, it will be quality of love better than any quantity of anything else >
"Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
.My lips shall praise You." (Psalm 63:3)
"Let all that you do be done with love." (1 Corinthians 16:14)
"'He who loves his life will lose it; but he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.'" (John 12:25)
So, it looks like Jesus here is really saying that if we love our own lives, we will lose them. I can see how this can work. If I live only or mainly for my own self, my selfish nature and ways can help to cause me to get into trouble which I would not suffer if I was trusting God and always submitting to how He guides me and takes care of me. While I am sinning I am not safe; no sin is safe. And my selfish and possessing ways can help to get ones I love hurt and even killed.
In the news we hear about people getting into various tragedies, but often they were where they should not have been, doing what is either vain or obviously wrong and selfish.
And I think of how Jesus clearly says that if we love our lives, we will lose them. We can lose our lives by dying . . . or by losing things and people and relationships of our lives, I consider this can mean. People lose their relationships because of how they themselves were just trying to use someone, and because they did not make sure with God about who they got involved with, in the first place.
The spirit of the selfishness can help make me an easier target for evil, even attracting what would not be able to get to me if I were with God and if ones I care for were obeying God.
So, yes, I would say, there are people who are victims and legally innocent, but they have been living for themselves in ways which helped make them available to tragedy. An easy example would be a prostitute who gets killed by a serial killer of prostitutes. He or she might not deserve that, but sin is not fair. If we operate in sin, we are operating in Satan's kingdom which is not caring and fair!!
And if parents have brought up their children in worldly ways, the parents might not do drugs, for example, but their worldly children can. And they might not deserve to die, but ones selling drugs can include undetected poisonous or overdosing substances, which they would not be taking if they were living for God.
And Jesus does guarantee that if a person loves one's life he or she will lose it. But God cares for us; Jesus suffered and died like He did, on the cross, suffering so much more than we might in our selfish living . . . suffering like that much, in order to keep us from losing all.
So, He is not interested only in judging people who live foolishly and lose their lives; and we need to have compassion > know what the problem can be, but want all which is good for people whose selfishness might have helped make them available to their tragedies and other losses.
Yes, some losses can be for the person's own good
And do what is worthwhile to do, what is worth dying for doing. Then we will be in God's care and His control of if and when we do die.
But the motive for living for God needs to not be only so people do not lose their lives, but because we first love You God our Father and desire to please You and love each and every person the way You please.
If fear of dying is our motive,
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)
Also, Jesus died "that He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (in Hebrews 2:14-15)
So, in case fear of death is our motive for playing it safe, and trying to make things secure, this fear can help to make sure we do die or suffer loss of things in our self-dependent lives. We need to depend on the LORD >
"casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
Then, even if we could die sooner because of living for Jesus, it will be quality of love better than any quantity of anything else >
"Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
.My lips shall praise You." (Psalm 63:3)
