In a previous message, I shared how God showed me that we are called to be winners at all times. But, here’s a thought. This is something I’ve been pondering lately – in order to truly be a winner in Christ – shouldn’t we also have to be a loser?
Look at Matthew 10:38-42:
Jesus said, “…he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."
So, in order to find abundant life in Christ, we have to lose our life in the flesh. The literal Greek translation of ‘lose’ is ‘to put to death.’ We are to crucify the flesh; put to death the things of the flesh. (See Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5).
Later in Matthew, Jesus says: “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (16:25) And He said in John 10:10 that He came to give us life “more abundantly.” Just take a moment to look at the Strong’s Concordance’s translation of the Greek words used for “more abundantly:”
1) exceeding some number or measure or rank or need
a) over and above, more than is necessary, superadded
2) exceeding abundantly, supremely
3) something further, more, much more than all, more plainly
a) superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon
4) pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more eminent, more remarkable, more excellent
WOW! That sounds like a winning life to me – but it all starts by being a loser. We must lose our life to win it! I even looked at the translation of the word ‘life’ used there – check this out: “life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.”
Sounds pretty good to me! Ok – so I’ve decided to be a winner in Christ – so I guess that makes me a loser also!
