We don’t get ‘do overs’ when it comes to living out this one life we’ve been given.

Listen to these words spoken by Jesus to a crowd of folks, as recorded in Mark 8:34-36:

“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”

I’m not sure what ‘gaining the whole world’ looks like to you, but the fact one can possibly accomplish that and yet ‘lose out in the end’...should be both sobering and alarming to us.

I would imagine that probably one of the most debated, thought out, and often asked questions throughout the course of human history has had something to do with finding the meaning and purpose of our existence here on earth. ‘Who am I and why am I here?’

We have a collection of writings from arguably the wisest and wealthiest man to ever live, King Solomon, who penned the Book of Ecclesiastes. He reveals how he denied himself nothing his heart desired, acquiring and accumulating more wealth, possessions, and even wives than anyone dare to imagine having for themselves over a lifetime; yet in the end, he wrote that it was all vanity. At the conclusion of his life, he shared what he had come to discover what the ‘whole duty’ of man was: “Fear God and keep His commandment.” (Ecc. 12:9-14)

How many people have labored and trudged through this life, which James describes as being but a ‘vapor’ when it comes to time spans...and found themselves asking: “What was the point?” (James 4:13-16)

You’ve probably heard those illustrations used in the past how one might spend a lifetime laboring to climb that ‘mountain of success’ only to find out in the end they were on the wrong mountain. Or that quote: “I never heard a man on his deathbed express regret over not spending more time at the office”.

My intent here today is not to go full throttle ‘philosophical’ on you with what I’m sharing now; rather to just pass on some thoughts for you to ponder in your own time of prayerful reflection and study. You do realize Jesus told us early on...that there would be ‘many’ who would stand before Him one day...thinking they had quite the resumé of ‘godly accomplishments’ to rattle off...only to be told by Him in the end... that He ‘never knew them’...and for them to ‘depart’. (Matt. 7:21-23)

How could so ‘many’ find themselves in such a tragic place of realization? Did Paul not warn of ‘perilous times’ in the last days where many would have a ‘form of godliness’... while ‘always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth’? (2 Tim. 3:1-7). How can anyone squander a life away so easily only to discover in the end that they ‘lost out’? Is it possible that due to a host of reasons and extenuating circumstances...that we ‘got in a hurry’, or were misguided by our own, if not others misguided advice, counsel, and/or mixed intentions? And as I asked yesterday...if we don’t have time to ‘get it right’ the first time... why do we think we’ll have time in the end to ‘fix it’? But God....

Jesus painted an interesting and insightful picture as to what this ‘pathway that leads to life’ looked like, and not only did He suggest it would be ‘narrow’, He also indicated that ‘few would find it’... while also comparing that ‘other path’ that ‘many would end up on’ ...but in the end it lead to destruction’ (Matt. 7:13-14). Friends...many of us will be without excuse since His revealed Word has been made available to us for a long time. And His message has never changed – ‘repent and follow Me’.

We are told in John 1...that He came first to His own people, and yet they did not receive Him, but to those who did...to them...He gave the right or capacity to ‘become children of God’ (1:11-12). And we would later learn in Romans 8:14 that it is those who “are led by His Spirit...these are the children of God”. Meanwhile, multitudes congregate in their various groups reassuring one another that they are ‘saved’ and all is well with their souls because they believe this way or that way, or they joined this group or did ‘this or that’. And the question I keep wanting to pose and the one that has challenged me is this: ‘Are we/you abiding in Jesus’?

This process...of being led by His Spirit (which means we are to follow) as we are ‘conformed to His image/likeness’ (Ro. 8:29) has some very distinguishing purposes. We are being led to ‘die to self...completely’. This is the only way lasting ‘fruit’ can be produced in us. John 12:24; 15:4-5,16; and Romans 8:13 bring this out so well. And there is no circumventing this process, as in it is not ‘optional’. And may I remind us all of two important things when it comes to this pathway of following Jesus as He leads us to put to death this ‘earthly nature’? It’s on His timetable...and we don’t do it ourselves. No matter how sincere and zealous your intentions are to hurry up to ‘get out there serving the Lord’ are...this is His operation and His kingdom...not ours.

Some might be wanting to ask about now – am I suggesting that we have to ‘arrive at some perfected state of maturity before we can be of any use to God’? And it’s a fair question to ask, which I can see why you might be asking based on what I’ve been sharing here. To be honest, I’m not quite sure how to answer that question either. I just know, as I wrote about yesterday, we tend to want to rush the process and get ahead of God more often than not, and the results can be less the desirable. You don’t rush the maturing process of fruit, just like you don’t try to speed up the process and cut corners when doing the foundation work on a new home or building. And when we get overly anxious and eager to ‘help God out’, it can delay the process even longer. (Just ask Abraham)

This I can say for certain – it is more important that we ‘belong to Christ’ than it is for us to ‘serve Him’ (based on how we think He wants us to serve Him). And those who do ‘belong to Him’...know His voice and follow His leading (John 10:27) so that His ultimate plans can be fulfilled in us by His grace (Rom. 8:13-14, 29; Gal. 2:20; 5:24). Yes, look those verses up one more time.

There’s an old story about a preacher who came home one evening and told his wife he had been asked to take a new church in another state, which he had accepted. His wife asked if he thought it might be wise to ‘pray about it first’; to which he responded...”You pray while I pack!”

You can’t ‘rush God’...without ending up in a mess somewhere. But those who ‘wait upon the Lord...shall renew their strength...and mount up with wings like eagles...’ (Isa 40:31)

Meet me back here tomorrow?