If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
—Matthew 16:25 (NLT)
What is the most crucial thing in your life? Is there something or someone you fear losing? Do you hold on too tightly to someone or something out of that fear? Who or what possesses you?
If you try to cling to your life, Jesus said, you will lose it. When a relationship with someone or what you possess becomes more important than your relationship with God, you lose intimacy with Him. Your spiritual understanding of who you are to God diminishes. You relinquish your life to what you desire instead of nurturing an intimate and open relationship with your Father.
“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be,” Jesus said (Matthew 6:21).
What do you treasure? Whatever it is becomes the desire of your heart. If it is something you want, then the yearning for ownership outweighs anything else. If it is a person, then your desires regarding that relationship are always at the forefront of your mind. When you treasure the things of this world and human relationships over what you have received in Christ, you cling to what will prevent you from experiencing the very best God has given you. When the longing for God’s ownership of your life surpasses everything else, you treasure the Lord as He treasures you. You give freely and receive freely.
Your relationship with God can evolve into a religion. When you cherish your long-held beliefs without being challenged by the Word regarding their truth, you will not grow spiritually. If you believe what is in God’s Word, then the treasure of His Word produces His truth in your life. If your beliefs stem from tradition rather than from the Holy Spirit stirring God’s Word in your heart, you become engaged in dead works. What you hold in your heart defines who you are. When you believe the Word, the treasure of the Father becomes your treasure as well. When the Holy Spirit reveals God’s truth to you, His Word treasures you, and you treasure Him.
Your desire for acceptance and recognition from your peers, whether in the world or the church, along with your wish to prove to yourself that you are worthy of God’s love and acceptance, can hinder you from experiencing the fullness of your relationship with the Father. When God becomes merely a tradition rather than the Father who loves you and desires the best for you, you close the door to His work in and through you.
When you give up your life for His sake—when you surrender your desires, beliefs, and understanding to His—you choose Him as the first priority in your life. Nothing hinders you from receiving from the Holy Spirit. You are open to receiving the revelation of His love and grace.
More than two thousand years ago, Jesus placed you above all else when He died on the cross for your complete restoration to fellowship with God. He loved you first. You were His foremost concern then, and that will never change. Right now, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, praying for you. One day, He will return to bring you home. Is Jesus your first love, or do other relationships, desires, possessions, or traditions interfere? If you cling to these—if they take precedence over your relationship with Him—you risk losing intimacy with Him and forgetting the blessings He has bestowed upon you.
However, if you let go of the importance of the “things” of life—whether the ones that create joy or the ones that bring despair—you will find His life. Letting go and allowing God to be first in your life results in closeness, understanding, confidence in Him, tenderness with Him, and openness that sets you free from the bondage of false security. Putting Him first will deliver you from the ultimate bitterness of a self-focused life.
Peace and joy become tangible when you receive a revelation from the Holy Spirit about how much your Father treasures and loves you. Your desire to cherish Him grows from understanding who He is in your life. Open yourself to the revelation of His Word.
God's ultimate desire is you. You are the desire and design of His heart. His vision for your life surpasses your own aspirations. He wishes to place His desires in your heart. He longs to work exceedingly more in your life than you ask or think. So delight yourself in Him. Let His love define every aspect of your life, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Losing your life to Him will be the greatest joy you have ever known.
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