"And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:34-36
What does it mean to lose your life for the sake of the gospel? This may sound like an easy question but like everything else it has many layers in its true meaning. Of course, being outright killed for the gospel like we see in the case of most of the disciples is the most extreme example and the highest level of fulfilling these passages but what do we say about the other levels?
Each day we are supposed die to the flesh and be crucified with Him but how is that the case when we obviously are not literally killed each day. It becomes clear that the understanding again is very much a spiritual understanding.
Our flesh has many lusty desires and each day we choose whether or not to fulfill these desires. Many among us have absolutely no idea how to control the fulfilling of these desires or even that they are supposed to. All they know is fleshly life. So duped are they that they don't even realize they are spiritual as well as fleshly so therefore they concentrate all their efforts on pleasing the only thing they see as important or should I say the only thing they see at all.
Whether it be the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye or the pride of life. We see all of humanity rushing to please whatever evil manifests within their hearts. People rushing like madmen all after one purpose, fulfilling the desires of their pathetic, selfish flesh.
The Christian, however, desires things not of this world but of the world to come. So when our flesh rises up against us and demands that we fulfill its desires it can be a terrible time. We are so easily distracted by its seemingly ever growing power over us. As we attempt to deny our flesh it seems to pound louder and louder at the door.
Simple hunger pains that at first are easily dismissed, eventually grow into the shakes and then eventually to the point that your mind is consumed with nothing else but filling your belly and it will not focus on anything else.
Your body brings to bear every weapon at its disposal to force you to give it what it wants. Eat or die it will say and you will believe it because in your world it is way too true. You will die if you don't eat but only a fleshly death, your spiritual self will not suffer in the least.
We should constantly practice and strive to deny our flesh, not just in fasting, which we should do often, but in all areas of our lives. Embracing the death of our flesh in everything should be a constant goal. Whether the dimming of our eyes, the lack of energy in our bodies or simply depriving ourselves of the purchase of a desired object. These should all be seen as times of rejoicing instead of a time of panic and dread.
Rejoice if your eyes can not see as well as they used too, your fleshly eyes have deceived you way to often anyway and what a grand opportunity to allow your spiritual eyes the chance to not only grow but take the supreme position as your preferred method of seeing.
Rejoice if your body is experiencing a lack of energy, this gives your spirit opportunity to grow and less energy makes it more difficult to fulfill the sick, disgusting desires of your evil heart. I rejoice that my body is experiencing all these things and that I will one day cross over from this pathetic existence into a much better one.
Now, I am not telling you to lift up sickness and desire to be unhealthy, but rather simply to focus on the spiritual things and rejoice at each turn when the flesh can be defeated. If in the body's infirmities we are able to overcome it, then by all means let the body be filled with infirmities! It is a rare person who can overcome a healthy body filled with vigor and energy.
No, the body filled with vigor and energy desires to do things of the flesh, it is strong and cares little for anything other than filling its own desires. The spirit is usually suffocated in the presence of a strong, youthful body. Therefore, I desire a weak body that I may have a strong spirit.
So what I am saying is by allowing our bodies to weaken we can possibly gain an advantage over them and possibly now you can see why true Christianity is a path seldom walked. Who would read this and say "Wow! What a great idea. Let's allow our bodies to die so we may live!" Do you know anyone, or would you yourself say this is a good idea and one that you would follow?
I think not because nearly everyone you meet is worried about one thing and one thing only. That is the pleasing of their flesh, whether by going to the doctor or buying the new car or whatever else you can think of, it really matters not about the details as long as the flesh is pacified. I say rather let it die and the sooner the better.
Of course it would be foolish to intentionally seek to live in a sick, unhealthy body. To intentionally eat things that are bad for you or to do things that cause you to be unhealthy is wrong and that is not what I am espousing here. All I am saying is that if you happen to be in this state then rejoice and do not whine or focus on things to specifically "recapture" your youth or some other nonsense.
That would be like committing suicide to quicken our trip to heaven. That is simply not how it works, we are not the ones who make those decisions. If we follow Him first, the physical state of our bodies will be of less and less importance.
We will find that we will be given the precise amount of health or infirmity to accomplish what He wants us to accomplish with nothing more or nothing less left over. For in having too much we rush off to do our own wills and too little has us not completing the work He has for us to do. Desire to have just the right amount!
Do His will and do not seek to do your own will. For as we are told again in Matthew 16:25 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:34-36
What does it mean to lose your life for the sake of the gospel? This may sound like an easy question but like everything else it has many layers in its true meaning. Of course, being outright killed for the gospel like we see in the case of most of the disciples is the most extreme example and the highest level of fulfilling these passages but what do we say about the other levels?
Each day we are supposed die to the flesh and be crucified with Him but how is that the case when we obviously are not literally killed each day. It becomes clear that the understanding again is very much a spiritual understanding.
Our flesh has many lusty desires and each day we choose whether or not to fulfill these desires. Many among us have absolutely no idea how to control the fulfilling of these desires or even that they are supposed to. All they know is fleshly life. So duped are they that they don't even realize they are spiritual as well as fleshly so therefore they concentrate all their efforts on pleasing the only thing they see as important or should I say the only thing they see at all.
Whether it be the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye or the pride of life. We see all of humanity rushing to please whatever evil manifests within their hearts. People rushing like madmen all after one purpose, fulfilling the desires of their pathetic, selfish flesh.
The Christian, however, desires things not of this world but of the world to come. So when our flesh rises up against us and demands that we fulfill its desires it can be a terrible time. We are so easily distracted by its seemingly ever growing power over us. As we attempt to deny our flesh it seems to pound louder and louder at the door.
Simple hunger pains that at first are easily dismissed, eventually grow into the shakes and then eventually to the point that your mind is consumed with nothing else but filling your belly and it will not focus on anything else.
Your body brings to bear every weapon at its disposal to force you to give it what it wants. Eat or die it will say and you will believe it because in your world it is way too true. You will die if you don't eat but only a fleshly death, your spiritual self will not suffer in the least.
We should constantly practice and strive to deny our flesh, not just in fasting, which we should do often, but in all areas of our lives. Embracing the death of our flesh in everything should be a constant goal. Whether the dimming of our eyes, the lack of energy in our bodies or simply depriving ourselves of the purchase of a desired object. These should all be seen as times of rejoicing instead of a time of panic and dread.
Rejoice if your eyes can not see as well as they used too, your fleshly eyes have deceived you way to often anyway and what a grand opportunity to allow your spiritual eyes the chance to not only grow but take the supreme position as your preferred method of seeing.
Rejoice if your body is experiencing a lack of energy, this gives your spirit opportunity to grow and less energy makes it more difficult to fulfill the sick, disgusting desires of your evil heart. I rejoice that my body is experiencing all these things and that I will one day cross over from this pathetic existence into a much better one.
Now, I am not telling you to lift up sickness and desire to be unhealthy, but rather simply to focus on the spiritual things and rejoice at each turn when the flesh can be defeated. If in the body's infirmities we are able to overcome it, then by all means let the body be filled with infirmities! It is a rare person who can overcome a healthy body filled with vigor and energy.
No, the body filled with vigor and energy desires to do things of the flesh, it is strong and cares little for anything other than filling its own desires. The spirit is usually suffocated in the presence of a strong, youthful body. Therefore, I desire a weak body that I may have a strong spirit.
So what I am saying is by allowing our bodies to weaken we can possibly gain an advantage over them and possibly now you can see why true Christianity is a path seldom walked. Who would read this and say "Wow! What a great idea. Let's allow our bodies to die so we may live!" Do you know anyone, or would you yourself say this is a good idea and one that you would follow?
I think not because nearly everyone you meet is worried about one thing and one thing only. That is the pleasing of their flesh, whether by going to the doctor or buying the new car or whatever else you can think of, it really matters not about the details as long as the flesh is pacified. I say rather let it die and the sooner the better.
Of course it would be foolish to intentionally seek to live in a sick, unhealthy body. To intentionally eat things that are bad for you or to do things that cause you to be unhealthy is wrong and that is not what I am espousing here. All I am saying is that if you happen to be in this state then rejoice and do not whine or focus on things to specifically "recapture" your youth or some other nonsense.
That would be like committing suicide to quicken our trip to heaven. That is simply not how it works, we are not the ones who make those decisions. If we follow Him first, the physical state of our bodies will be of less and less importance.
We will find that we will be given the precise amount of health or infirmity to accomplish what He wants us to accomplish with nothing more or nothing less left over. For in having too much we rush off to do our own wills and too little has us not completing the work He has for us to do. Desire to have just the right amount!
Do His will and do not seek to do your own will. For as we are told again in Matthew 16:25 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
