The Olympic games ended a little over a month ago, the football season is now under-way, and we’ll soon see the finale of the elections. All these events have winners and losers. “Winner” is a positive word and we all want to back a winner. Yea for the winner! “Loser” is a sad word and we don’t want to be losers or their supporters. No one loves a loser!
But wait! The Bible views winners and losers in a different light. The one who loses, gains, says Jesus. Listen to Him: “Whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25), and “Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it” (Luke 17:33), and “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal” (John 12:25). The principle seems to be—win here, lose there; lose here, win there!
What does Jesus mean by “losing”? The original language indicates a complete loss or utter destruction. The depth of Jesus’ challenge regarding “losing” for Him is found in His words: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). The cross is not an instrument of discipline, or punishment, but of death. So taking up the cross means dying! Since Jesus says this is to be a daily activity, it means putting all our personal needs and desires aside daily in order to obey Jesus’ commands and walk in His footsteps. This should govern your choice of thought, word, and action every day—beginning now! Be a loser now to win eternally.
The Lord gives another suggestion as to what He has in mind when He says, “no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions” (Luke 14:33). Which one of us is willing to do this? We’re all attached to our “things” and treasure them, so we catch a glimpse of what it means to “lose” for Jesus. It’s challenging and demanding, but lose now to be eternally rewarded
One of the most poignant challenges the Christian may face is the call to be willing to forsake family for Christ. He said, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). Jesus is to be dearer to us than spouse, child, parent, or sibling—and these are the dearest and strongest ties we have with any humans on earth. Our stand with Christ now will show the strength of our love for Him and may win our family’s obedience to the Lord.
What I conclude from these Scriptures, and there are more, is that we are to put Jesus before every other person or thing. From our very life, to our closest and dearest relationships, to every possession—Jesus comes before all. If He calls to a duty, or for a service, His call must be answered first. This call should be answered with no regard for its cost to us in personal sacrifice or comfort for Peter says, “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Paul confesses to striving to conform to the death of Christ Jesus, in other words, to lose his life for the Lord so that he could attain to the resurrection of the dead. The apostle concludes with the affirmation: “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Read Philippians 3:8-14).
Let’s join the race for this prize and remember: Be a loser to be a winner!