loving Jesus and the gospel

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their
life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Mark 8:35

What does it mean for us to love Jesus and the gospel? In comparison to our love for Christ, all other loves are to be like hatred. We believe this ironically makes our other loves stronger and better, since our hearts are at last in the right place, not centered on ourselves, but on God.

This is often thought of in terms of making the ultimate sacrifice, and in many cases even in recent years, this has indeed taken place. We need to stand with and pray for both our brothers and sisters in Jesus who are being persecuted or are in danger and do what we can to help them, and pray for their persecutors as well. What would enable Elisabeth Elliot to go back to the Aucas and share the gospel after her beloved Jim was killed by them? Love for Jesus and the gospel.

But what about us in our freedom of religion we enjoy, in our soft existence in which many of us live? I believe to love Jesus and the gospel means that we love God by obeying him in all things in our lives. It means that first things must always be first. Yes, we like to enjoy life and we are grateful for all the blessings of life. But our number one passion and love is for Christ and the gospel. Knowing God's love through Christ we love God: Father, Son and Spirit, and we seek to be faithful to the end, in the grace of our Lord Jesus.

This is a new life, a resurrected life in Jesus to which we're called. A life we live now, as we renounce ourselves: our loves, passions and desires, so that we can follow Jesus and be true to his gospel to the very end.

What might you like to share on this?