Losing my Life

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it." 


This quote is seen at least 5 times in the new testament. The first half of this quote - that I didn't write - tells us to take up our cross daily, so this idea goes well with the idea of being a living sacrifice. I do not want to focus on that part but I believe it will help in what I have to write.


I have a hard time of giving God every aspect of my life as I'm sure most people do. We tell God that we'll give him sports, or we'll give him food, or whatever else, but for some reason I can't seem to give him all of it. I know for me the number one thing I seem to not be albe to give him is my relationships with women, specifically they romantic ones. I don't really know why. But hopefully by the end of this I will, and I'll be able to give that aspect of my life to him.


We like to be in control of our lives and for whatever reason we think that if we give God certain aspects they will be lost to us forever. I have no problem giving soccer to him because I know he will bless that and I can then use my soccer for his purposes. However, when it comes to women I feel like if I give that to God I will never marry and I don't know why I believe this. Every thing else I have given he has blessed not taken away from me. 


That is the one of the idea's behind this verse and behind the idea of being a living sacrifice. We give our lives to God and he takes them, but does not just hold on to them for us to never have again. No. He takes our lives - when we 'lose' them, or give them to him - and blesses them and then gives them back. So in essence we are still in control of our lives. Basically if there were two people in a car, we are the driving and God is sitting in the passenger seat telling us where we need to go. Before we give our life to God it's like he's standing outside the car waiting to come. Once we give him our life we put it in his hand we just let him inspect the car, make a few adjustments, then he hops in the front seat and tells us where to go. Now, one might argue that God is that one driving, but if God were the one driving, once we surrendered our life to him we would never mess up again, we would not take any wrong turns or do anything but where God took us which would be perfect. Since that is not the case we are the ones driving.


So, if I give my significant relationships up to God he is not going to force me to dump that person, unless of course the relationship is horribly sinful. When I give me life to God for his purposes, I still get to make the decisions in my life, he just gives me direction and suggests what I ought to do. I don't know about you, but this helps me a great deal. While I am fully giving my life to Christ, he is giving it back to me to use for his purposes. That doesn't sound so bad after all does it.


Dear God, 
    I pray that you may help me in giving my life to you so that I may use it for your purposes and not my own as mine are foolish compared to your ways Lord. Please forgive me for my constant failure in this aspect of my life. But I thank you for your never ending love.