Ready:
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him 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 will find it.’” —Матей 16:24-25
Set:
Losing is never fun. We compete to win not to lose. The longest losing streak for high school basketball is 87 games by Guide Rock High School in Nebraska, losing every game from early 1989 to 1995. Imagine playing for three or four years on varsity and not winning a single game. Rarely do athletes or coaches view losing as anything good or positive. No, competitors all strive for wins.
Jesus made a profound statement about winning and losing. His statement spoke to the deepest and most important reality of eternal life. He said, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him 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 will find it.” If a person wants to find eternal life with Jesus Christ, they must first lay down their lives for His sake, and then they will find Jesus and eternal life.
So, what does that mean? If you want to follow Jesus, deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. If you try to make all the right moves and do all the right actions to gain eternal life, you will lose. That is the ultimate loss! But if you lose your life now, while you are still living, you will find life, here and for all eternity. This is the biggest win of all time.
What Jesus clearly taught clearly is you have to lose to win. Give up your life to Him and gain life. Winning for all eternity is solely dependent and fulfilled by Jesus Christ.
Go:
What was the hardest loss your team experienced?
Does it seem confusing to understand Jesus’ words that you have to lose to win?
Who can you talk to to help explain this further? If you do have a good understanding, how are you doing at denying yourself and following Jesus each day?
Workout:
Overtime:
“Jesus, thank You for stating it clearly that eternal life in found in You only. It’s easy to think I can work my way to You and to eternal life. Thank You for giving me a new life now and eternal life forever. Help me grow and understand more about You and how to live my life to Your honor and glory. Amen”