Luke 9:24-26 (NIV) “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
The instinct for self-preservation in humans is very strong, as strong as it is in any creature that God created And it is there for a purpose. It enables people to survive during times of peril and times of trial. It causes them to fight back strongly against things that would destroy them, and not just give up or give in.
But people also have powerful ability to override their instinct for survival, that is more powerful than any other creature. That ability enables the selfless acts that we so admire in people. It enables the mother or father to run back into a fire or dive into the water to save a child. It enables people to share with those in need, even when they have precious little to begin with.
In a Christian, the ability to override the instinct for survival enables us to face trials and persecutions, and never turn our backs on God or Jesus in the process. The survival instinct will try to get us to give up, to give in, or to deny Jesus in order to save our own lives. But, as Jesus points out, to give in to that temptation will ultimately cost a person their soul. He or she could gain the whole world by denying Jesus (and the enemy will make it look that that is actually a possibility, if only we will capitulate). But in the end, anything that we gain will prove to be worth nothing in comparison to the depth of the loss of soul that we experience.
All of Jesus’ promises of deliverance are only for those who stand firm in the face of suffering, persecution, and even death. Even those promises made in the letters to the seven Churches in the Revelation are made to those who overcome, those who stand firm, those who ignore their survival instinct as they stand firm in their faith, their hope, their commitment to Jesus, even to the point of death.
Father, we are so good at rationalizing our capitulations, large and small.” Surely God will understand. Surely He knows how weak I am. Surely He will forgive me when all of this is over so that I can get back into His good graces.” You are loving and forgiving, but Jesus calls us to intentionally take up our own crosses, and to remain faithful regardless of the suffering we must undergo for Your sake and for the sake of the kingdom, just as the early disciples did. Help me to stand firm, bold in the faith, no matter what happens, so that at the end of all things, I can receive the great blessings You have promised. Amen.