The Paradox of Losing to Find | Thursday
Devotional
Jesus presents us with one of the most counterintuitive truths in all of Scripture: if you try to save your life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for His sake, you will find it. This paradox cuts against every natural instinct we have for self-preservation and self-advancement.
Our culture teaches us to hold tightly to what we have, to fight for our rights, and to never let anyone take advantage of us. We’re told to look out for number one and to make sure we get what we deserve. But Jesus flips this worldly wisdom completely upside down.
When we try to hang on to the life we think we deserve—the comfortable life, the successful life, the life where everything goes our way—we actually lose what matters most. We miss out on the abundant life that comes through surrender to Christ. We trade the eternal for the temporary, the meaningful for the trivial.
But when we’re willing to lose our life for Jesus’ sake, something miraculous happens. We discover a life that’s richer, more purposeful, and more satisfying than anything we could have achieved on our own. We find that in losing ourselves, we actually find who we were meant to be all along.
Bible Verse
‘For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.’ – Matthew 16:25
Reflection Question
What aspects of ‘the life you think you deserve’ are you holding onto too tightly, and how might letting go lead to something better?
Quote
You try to hold on to what you have, you will lose it. You try to hang on to the life that you desire, the life that you want, the life that you think you deserve, you will lose it.
Prayer
Father, help me to trust Your paradoxical wisdom. Give me faith to let go of the life I think I want so I can receive the life You have planned for me. Help me to believe that losing my life for Jesus’ sake is the path to true fulfillment.