Death is the portal to life.

Luke 9:23-27 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” 

By calling you to die daily, the gospel welcomes you to live eternally. It is one of the principal paradoxes of grace. It may seem to make no sense at all, but you cannot understand God’s work of grace in your life if you don’t face the paradox. It is clearly presented in Luke 9:23-27

Death leads to life; something seems not right about this, but it is right. It makes perfect sense when you face the reality that you and I can not live for ourselves and God at the same time. We cannot live for His kingdom and our own kingdom. We cannot write our own rules and submit to His rules. We cannot pride ourselves on our independent righteousness and cast ourselves on His righteousness at the same time. We cannot live for our glory and His glory. We cannot love the world in our hearts and love Him above all else at the same time. We cannot insert ourselves in the center of our worlds and have Him at the center too. 

Coming to Jesus is not a negotiation. Coming to Jesus is not an agreement. Coming to Jesus is not a contract. Coming to Jesus is a death- your death. He died so you can live. He asks you to lose your old life so that you may find life in Him. 

Here is what you need to understand: in asking you to die, Jesus is giving you eternal life the only way it can be given. He has to call you to die because you are in the way of having life. 

It is our pride, our rebellion, our independence, our foolishness, our denial that stand in the way of His offer of life. We tell ourselves we are okay. We act as if we are smarter than God. We like our little kingdom more than we love His. We think our rules are better than His. We tell ourselves present pleasure is better than eternal gain. If someone does not rescue us from our delusions about our lives, we will lose our lives, and eternal life. 

Yes, we must die from our current life if we are ever going to live. Grace is out to get us, but presiding over our death, grace gives us life; real abundant, and eternal life. 

Don’t fight the death of your old life, instead, celebrate the new life that is yours by grace and grace alone. Remember our Savior will continue to call you to die of your old life, it is the way of life.