A Life Not My Own

As I continue my journey with Christ and begin my adventure with Praying Pelican Missions, I am constantly reminded that my life is not my own; I was bought for a high price. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 relates, "For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died. And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised."

It is my greatest desire to live each and every day for Christ, so that those who do not know His grace and love may have opportunity to experience Him just as I have and in turn, no longer live for themselves. Our culture dictates we must look out for our own interests and profit, but Christ teaches us something radically different: “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it. For what does it benefit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his life?" (Mark  8:34-36). You see, I can endeavor my who life to accumulate stuff and power, but at the end of the day it's meaningless and empty.

A few chapters later in Mark, Jesus presents another extreme concept:

Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”  But the disciples were astonished at His words. Again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

So they were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?”

Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.”

Peter began to tell Him, “Look, we have left everything and followed You.”

“I assure you,” Jesus said, “there is no one who has left house, brothers or sisters, mother or father, children, or fields because of Me and the gospel, who will not receive 100 times more, now at this time —houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions— and eternal life in the age to come. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:23-31)

So these are the promises I lay claim to; they may not be the easiest, but Christ never said it would be easy, only that He would never leave me. When I look into the faces of those I share Christ with here and all over the world I know that Christ is faithful to His word and has already blessed me 100 times over and will continue to do so. Please pray for me that I may be a vessel for Christ to use in any way necessary to bring lost souls to himself and prayerfully consider giving so that I may continue to do so.