SCRIPTURE

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. Luke 9:24 (NLT)

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COMMENTARY

At the most recent Medal of Honor ceremony in Washington, three servicemen were honored. Two of them received their medals after their passing, and one was present. Each had displayed great courage. And though their actions took place in different theaters of war, they had one thing in common. Each used their own bodies to shield other wounded soldiers from enemy fire while helping them get to safety. Jesus Christ did the same for us. Mortally wounded by sin, with no way to safety on our own, He gave up His body for us, and even His very life, so that we might find the way to ultimate safety and security. But as we give up our lives, we don’t just gain safety and security, we gain a brand-new life; a quality of life impossible to attain without leaving the old life behind. To gain the fullness of our new life in Christ, we must lay down our old lives completely and become living sacrifices.

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PRAYER

Jesus, we thank You for the sacrifice of Your life, that provides for us not just an example or model, but the way for us to gain life. It is a life we could never aspire to nor hope for without You and that we could never realize without dying to self, following in Your steps. We choose today to freshly lose our lives that we might find the fullness of life in You. Help us, Holy Spirit, to lay down our lives and lay hold of You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

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QUOTE

“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)