Matthew 10:39 - [Jesus said] "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
This devotion pairs with this weekend's Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lutheranhour.org.
Life is actually a fairly large topic to deal with in one short devotion. However, Jesus, in our text and its context takes us into life with its unrest and conflict and then shares with us that it is a losing cause to search for life on one's own terms and a true blessing to lose what we think we have for the real life that He freely gives.
Life. We all have it in different places with different callings, dreams, desires. We live our lives out in a world that is seemingly about life, discovering life, and finding ourselves. Truth is, people look in a plethora of places to find out who they are and what life is all about.
It wasn't always the case, you know. Way back when, way back at the beginning when our first parents walked with God in the cool of the day, Adam and Eve didn't have an urge to find themselves. Why? Because they were complete. They were full, not of themselves, but joyously filled with God, perfect in His image, holy, righteous, and eternal. To say the least, all was good. All was very, very, very good. Yet they tossed it, and at the very moment they decided to live lives on their own terms, following a new and sinister leader, we have been in a never-ending circle of trying to find ourselves. Since that very rebellious day, all people have been looking for life in all the wrong places, and yet God tells us plainly that this search is a waste of time, "For whoever finds his life will lose it."
Great, just great. We're doing all this searching and it's all for naught if God's speaking the truth. And He is, for truth is the only language the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit know. We know God is speaking the truth for He has proven Himself in spades by His Son's death and resurrection to buy us, His kids, rebels, back to Himself. For most of humanity, though, yet trying to find themselves in all the wrong places, they will never find themselves. Why? Because the only way to find oneself, we are truly told, is to lose oneself, to lose ourselves, our life, for Jesus' sake. And there it is, true life staring us right in the face. As Jesus said, "Whoever loses his life, for My sake will find it."
WE PRAY: Thank you, Lord, for the truth that life is only found in You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Keith Haberstock.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you consider yourself a seeker of truth? How do you determine what is true and false?
2. What does Jesus mean when He says we will find our lives when we lose them?
3. How has God "proven Himself" as truthful through Jesus?
Today's Bible Readings: Ecclesiastes 7-9 Acts 10:1-23
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