Jesus said we must give up our lives in order to save ourselves.

This idea doesn’t make sense to the average person. From birth we instinctively do everything in our power to stay alive. We know to look for the breast to fill our hungry tummy and to cry to get held by our mother. Later we learn that words like “mine!” and “no!” can get us what we want. Later we learn to play the game of life to get money for things we need .

But it wasn’t meant to be that way. We were meant to trust our lives to God like dependent children.

The first people, Adam and Eve, had no need to worry about their lives. Not until they chose to disobey God and become the masters of their own fate. Bad choice.

The first sin corrupted humans and created fear of death. Ever since then humans have been unnaturally obsessed with survival and that project has sometimes included “saving the planet”.

But Jesus says “ Stop worrying about what you’ll eat and what you’ll wear! I know you need those things. Seek first the kingdom of God!”

Eternal life is found in trusting God with your current life and your future life in the kingdom .

Matthew 16:24-26

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

[24] Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. [25] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. [26] For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

In C.S. Lewis’s , Out of The Silent Planet, Book One of the Space Trilogy, at the end of the story there’s a conversation between the men from earth and the alien leader of the planet they’re on.

The alien knows God, the creator of the universe. The men who came to the planet had motives of taking over the planet because they feared the end of humanity on earth. To them survival was the ultimate goal, continuing the human race.

The Martian tells them , sorry but this planet is old and failing. The man says I’ll go to another planet! He doesn’t know God or even have a concept of the after life. Pursuit of gold and land and power was his obsession because he feared death.

We don’t have to fear death. We don’t have to obsess over survival of the species . This world as we know it is going to end eventually . But those who seek life in Jesus will find it .

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?””
‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.11.25-26.ESV