“Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”

Matthew 10:39

When Jesus came on earth, His message went against anything they had ever heard. It challenged the status quo; it reversed the order. It is the revelation of Jesus that taught us that the secret of strength is in weakness, for when you are weak then you are strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). It is the revelation of Jesus that taught us that the secret of blessing is in poverty, “blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

Acts of faith are but acts of self-surrender – putting an absolute stop to our own way, own work or own thought and to rest in God’s love, wisdom and power. That is what Jesus showed us when He laid down His life for our salvation.

Jesus was capable of coming down from the Cross unhurt but He knew that sometimes we have to do what we hate to create something we love. He knew there is great power in surrender.

GOD FIRST

“Let’s take a lesson from David who was ready to be humiliated in his own eyes, so that God could be honoured. Ask yourself: Where does honouring God appear in your list of priorities? Do you thank Him for all that He has done in your life, all the way long? While men look at the outside, God looks at the motives of the heart. Instead of worrying about the opinion of others concerning you, let the motive of your heart each day be to honour God before yourself.”

THE SACRIFICE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

“There is no time to do what is right. We must set our heart to obey the Word of God, all the time. God’s kind of lifestyle calls us to do what is right in the sight of God at all times, even though it is contrary to what we naturally want to do. Choosing to do what is right is a great test to the flesh.

What is the sacrifice of righteousness? Choosing to do God’s will rather than our own. When our flesh says hate, God says love. It takes sacrificial love to love your enemy and to pray for them. These are the weapons of righteousness. This is the sacrifice that Jesus looks at and rewards. Even though that might not be a grand, or outward sacrifice, it is what Jesus values.”

LIFE ANEW

“When we talk of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are talking of the rare opportunity He has given to all believers to experience a new beginning – a situation in which every dead area of our lives receives life anew.

We are dead to our past and alive to our future. Sin’s power over us is broken and we now put on Christ’s new life: we live in Him, move in Him and have our being in Him. Herein lies the significance of resurrection.”