Read: John 12:20-32
Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (v. 25)
An oxymoron is a seeming contradiction, like “jumbo shrimp” or “clean dirt.” When Jesus says that in order to gain life we must first give up our lives (see Matt. 10:39, 16:25; Luke 17:33), it sounds like an oxymoron. But it’s no contradiction. We lose our lives by surrendering all we are and all we have to him. But only through this surrender will we be able to live in obedience and service to him, finding true life and freedom here and now, and for all eternity. Matthew Henry said it best: “A true disciple of Christ is one that follows him in duty, and shall follow him to glory.”
Everyone will surrender someday. We can either surrender willingly, through our love for Christ, or we will be forced to when “every knee shall bow” to him in the end.
But surrender to Christ isn’t something we do once. It’s an ongoing thing. We need to live out a surrendered life: continually saying “No” to self and “Yes” to God. In order to do this, we may have to surrender daily in areas where we struggle most. As we lay down our lives cheerfully for Jesus’s sake and let go of our worldly advantages, we discover real life, the best life we can imagine, and one that will last.
As you pray, thank God that in him is true life. Ask him to help you surrender and receive the life that he offers.
About the Author
Jessica Heikoop was a writer and editor from Ontario, Canada. Beloved by her family and community, she died in 2013 at the age of 31.
