"Anyone who loves his life loses it, but anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. [Whoever has no love for, no concern for, no regard for his life here on earth, but despises it, preserves his life forever and ever.]" (John 12:25 AMPC)
How can we love our lives? This is natural with every human being. No one needs any seminar to love himself. From birth, every one of our actions is geared toward self-love. The self-love is contrary to God's demand on every life. In the old testament, He commanded the Israelites to love Him with all their hearts and souls and strengths(Deut. 6:5). When Jesus came into the world, He demonstrated and personified a life of total dedication to God. He was completely sold out to Him. He did not love His life even to the point of death. After He laid down His life and died on the Cross, God also caused Him to resurrect by the help of the Holy Ghost.
The principle of death that brings abundant life and fruitfulness was not a fanciful idea to Him. He was willing to practice it and actually did by His death. He was able to keep His life by hating it, so to say, He buried it and another one sprang up from it.
The death of our old man terminates the self-love and self-preservation. It granted us power to go all out for God.
This principle is not about deliberately taking action to hurt or endanger your physical body. It is about loving God supremely above anyone or anything else.
ACTION PLAN: We must receive grace today to love God above our lives and everything else.
PRAYER: Father, put an end to the self-life in me through the Cross of Calvary.
How can we love our lives? This is natural with every human being. No one needs any seminar to love himself. From birth, every one of our actions is geared toward self-love. The self-love is contrary to God's demand on every life. In the old testament, He commanded the Israelites to love Him with all their hearts and souls and strengths(Deut. 6:5). When Jesus came into the world, He demonstrated and personified a life of total dedication to God. He was completely sold out to Him. He did not love His life even to the point of death. After He laid down His life and died on the Cross, God also caused Him to resurrect by the help of the Holy Ghost.
The principle of death that brings abundant life and fruitfulness was not a fanciful idea to Him. He was willing to practice it and actually did by His death. He was able to keep His life by hating it, so to say, He buried it and another one sprang up from it.
The death of our old man terminates the self-love and self-preservation. It granted us power to go all out for God.
This principle is not about deliberately taking action to hurt or endanger your physical body. It is about loving God supremely above anyone or anything else.
ACTION PLAN: We must receive grace today to love God above our lives and everything else.
PRAYER: Father, put an end to the self-life in me through the Cross of Calvary.
