Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Life, as it is used here, comes from the Greek root word psuche, which refers to the soul or breath of life. For those who try to save their lives, the results are foolish. One cannot save themselves. We can’t do it on our own. It is only through Him that we are saved.
Unfortunately, our earthly lives are not always going to be easy. The early believers faced great hardship, and many were martyred for their faith in Jesus. He warned that they would face persecution in Matthew 10:23. But when that happens, we are not alone. When Stephen was being stoned, he saw the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56). Persecution may not always happen, but we should understand it is a great possibility (2 Timothy 3:12).
Despite this, those who lose their lives will be saved. But what does that mean, exactly?
I read a paraphrase that made the verse make much more sense. “Whoever wishes to save his physical life will lose his spiritual life, but whoever turns over his physical life for My sake and the gospel’s will save his spiritual life.”
Instead we should be surrendering our lives to His will. We surrender our desires, wants, needs, possessions, our everything to Him. It is all temporary, anyway (1 John 2:15). But what He offers us is eternal (1 John 2:17). Rather than trying to live for self and losing everything in the process, today surrender all to Him and be saved.
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