Give up to go up

There is a principle that most of us recognize as true, and yet live as if it isn’t.

If you want more, you’ll probably need to choose less.

Want more financially? You’re probably going to need to live on less so that you can increase your savings, or have less free time so you can work a few more hours.

Want more relationally? You’re probably going to need to give up some things you could do alone to invest in the relationships you’re developing with others.

Want more spiritually? Well, that’s actually where this principle began.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:24-25‬ ‭NLT, emphasis mine)

If we want to go up, we’ll need to give up first. Jesus promised us an abundant life, not necessarily a life of abundance. There’s a huge difference between the two, and many will never live lives full of the things that matter most because they’ve settled for a life packed full of lesser things.

Paul said that everything looked like garbage when it was compared to knowing Jesus.

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ… (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:7-8‬ ‭NLT, emphasis mine)

Do you want more of Christ’s power to be active in your life? More revelation of His goodness and grace toward you? More of His authority moving through you and affecting the atmosphere around you? Do you want to see strongholds break and demons tremble when you speak His word? Do you want to read the Bible and weep at the very thought that the creator of the universe wrote to us about Himself?

None of that comes to a life packed to the brim with dollar store junk. We don’t get that level of depth by playing in the sandbox. That walk comes to the burning ones who have seen it all, and seen Him, and chosen to empty themselves so that He might fill them. And fill us, He will!

Photo by Phil Coffman on Unsplash

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