Mark 8:35
This is another of Jesus’ extreem statements that many misunderstand or take offense at. To lose one’s life is a serious thing. So what exactly does the Lord have in mind here? Did he expect his disciples to be crucified with him? No, we know that he knew that would not happen. But, we are told that they ‘forsook’ him and fled when the soldiers came to take him away.
And yet, every one of the disciples, except for Judas of course, seems to have come to understand what Jesus meant in these verses. They all gave thier lives for him. They realized that Jesus was calling for absolute surrender of self. No holding back.
A life lived devoid of Christ will meet only with death and hell fire afterwards. And, the measure of devotion Jesus calls for here assures the genuine Salvation of the offerer.
Heavenly Father, thank you for helping us to understand the reality of what we have in Christ. He is all that we need. We can live totally for him and not worry about what this world says is valuable. The true value in life is knowing the One who has given us a future. He has saved us from ourselves. Thank you for Christ! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.