Give It Up

“The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”—John 12:25

What was Jesus saying to His disciples? The only way to gain your life is to give it up. The only way to win it is to lose it. We think we’re giving up so much by dying. But in reality, it’s those who refuse to die who are giving up everything. When we choose the pathway of brokenness and humility, we’re choosing to receive new life—His supernatural, abundant life—flowing in us and through us.

Of course, the ultimate picture of that kind of brokenness is Jesus Himself. He’s the One who said, “This is my body, which is [broken] for you” (1 Cor. 11:24).

The prophet Isaiah spoke of Jesus when he said, “He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities. . . . Yet the Lord was pleased to crush him severely” (53:5, 10). Jesus was willing to be crushed, to die, so that through His death, eternal life could be released for us.