Mark 8:35-38 (NIVUK)
35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.’
I’ve been around the church long enough to theologically get the upside down nature of the opening of this passage – as a minister I would imagine you’d hope that’s the case. But understanding it with my head and living it are two completely different things. When push comes to shove, the instinct is to put myself first, or take the path of least resistance and seek the easy life. Does this mean I’m ashamed of Jesus? No, but I don’t want others to be ashamed of me, sometimes, perhaps, that amounts to the same thing. The good news, however, is that Christ understands. He knows that outside his grace I’m a lost case, but thankfully that’s upside down too – he loves lost cases. Does this mean I give up trying? Of course not.
Spirit, help me align how I know I ought to live and how I want to live, with how I actually live. (Romans 7:24-25)
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