In review of Mark 8:35 it says, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.”
Bottom Line:
Live for yourself and you’ll lose your life. Give your life to Jesus and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.
What this means to me:
If I try to live for myself and try to hang on to my life, I’ll will lose it. However Jesus tells me that if I give up my life for him and for the sake of the Good News, I’ll actually be saving it.
This morning I’ll explore the whether a dream I’m living for is from me or is of God’s.
It’s easy to think that all this life is about getting up, going to work, coming home, watching TV, and going to bed; to make a little money, retire, and die. In reality, I don’t think that’s why God put me here.
If my dream is truly from God, it will somehow be connected to his Church and his plan for the world. Why would God give me a self-centered dream, unconnected to what he wants to do in the world? He wants to use me to accomplish his dream. He wants to use me for his plan.
From what I know God’s big and overarching plan is to build a family. He’s collecting family members from every nation, every tribe, every language, and every people group. When everybody’s in the family that he knows will be in the family, it’s over. We then go into phase two, which is eternity.
Right before Jesus went back to Heaven after the Resurrection, he gave the disciples a great vision, a great dream. It’s called the Great Commission in which he tells us to: “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 NLT). The Great Commission is my commission.
When God gives us a dream for our lives, it will always be connected to his overarching plan, the growth of his Church and his Kingdom, and the building of his family until the day it’s completed and we all go to Heaven.
I was not put here on Earth to live for myself. So, I should ask God to give me his dream for my life so that I can be part of the biggest, best, and most important story.
Today’s verse reminds me that, “If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it” (Mark 8:35).
In summary, If I try to live for myself and try to hang on to my life, I’ll will lose it. However Jesus tells me that if I give up my life for him and for the sake of the Good News, I’ll actually be saving it. Dreams that come from God will involve building his family and his kingdom.
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