Are We Hating Our Lives?

As I was talking to the Lord the other day about living in these times, He led me to these two verses: John 12:25 —The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. *  and Luke 14:26–27 —“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. *And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. *  and I felt compelled to reflect on them, as they seemed to come into my heart with a special force this time. Because of that, I've continued to reflect on them since then and it's amazed me at how blind I've been all these years.  I understood before the basics of what these verses say, just as I'm sure we all do, but they hadn't settled down deep into my heart and soul.  The more I consider them, the more I understand that we're to actually hate our lives in this world, in comparison to the life He offers us.  It's not just that we're to hate our lives here though, it's just as important that we love the Life He is offering us, for if we only have the hate, all that will do is poison us.  It's the love for Him and the Life He gives us, that's will get us through this life without faltering.

Of course all through the Bible we're told to love God and hate evil, but this goes even further, telling us to hate our lives - the lives we're living right now, and instead, to long for real Life, the Life He offers us through our salvation.  

He actually showed me the verses I've printed above in the order I've given them.  For at first I was considering that I was only to hate evil, as His Word tells us too, and never considered the people in my life, especially not those I love.  After all, I'd just finished praying for the salvation of my loved ones and the loved ones each of you have asked prayer for.  How could I hate them???  Yet, He then showed me the verses in Luke.  I've always understood that He meant that we were never to place anyone above Him or before Him, but as I considered it in this context, I came to understand it more fully.  For I think I have often placed them before Him in various ways. I think we all do.  

It reminded me again that our hearts are deceitful and not to be trusted.  (Jeremiah 17:9; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Proverbs 28:26; Mark 7:21–23) That in order to truly determine our own motives, we must go to the Lord and ask Him for wisdom and to show us the Truth. For He is the only One who knows what's truly in our hearts, and only He can reveal any sin that is in us. Considering that, the Lord surprised me by reminding me of this scripture: Matthew 18:8–9 —If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. *And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. * 

We console ourselves and say that the Lord didn't really mean this literally, and often rush through the scripture, not looking at it closely, for it seems awfully harsh.  Yet it's there for a reason and it goes along with the fact that we're to hate our lives here and hate even our most loved ones if we're going to follow the Lord.  He's showing us, yet again, how very important the Life He has for us is in comparison to this life.  See, we think this life is the all in all, but it's not.  It pales greatly in comparison to Real Life - the Life He has for us.  This life is nothing compared to it!

In fact, there is nothing in this life, nothing- including our own bodies, that is worth losing the Life He offers us, or missing out on even one of the great rewards He has for us there!  That's why He goes so far as to tell us to cut off our foot if it's causing us to sin, and yet instead, we'd rather stop reading our Bibles and thinking about Him so that we don't have to deal with being convicted of whatever our pet sin currently is.  

Just after the above verses in Luke, the Lord goes on in Luke 14:28–33, to tell us that because of all of this, we should therefore count the cost of following Him before we start.  Jesus never said that life after salvation would be easy. How could it be "easy" if we're to hate this life and those we love compared to Him and the Life He has for us?  Instead, He tells us to count the cost and then, only if we think it's worth it, are we to take that step and ask to belong to Him.  For this life will be hard, harder than that of unbelievers, not easier.  

How many times and in how many ways does the Lord have to tell us that this life is going to be hard; that the unsaved are going to hate us - not "dislike us", not "just tolerate us", but hate us, before we believe Him? And that includes our loved ones.  How often I complain because it's hard, actually thinking I deserve better!  Why should my life be any easier then my Lord's life here was?  His own family, His mother, brothers and sisters, ridiculed Him and didn't believe Him until after He died and rose again! So why do I bewail the fact that some in my family are the same way, and feel upset, when in fact, He told us it would be this way!  Why do I cling to my loved ones or my possessions, (remember how Jesus told the young man to sell all had and follow Him?) or my sin, when they can't hold a candle to what He has for me?  It's like wanting a handful of dirt instead of a handful of diamonds!

Jesus finishes His talk about the cost of following Him by again saying:  Luke 14:33 —In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. * After which He reminds us that we shouldn't start what we don't intend to finish.  Luke 14:34–35 —“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? *It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” * This reminds me of when He warned us that we cannot serve 2 masters.  We can't love this life and look forward to the next.  Instead He says to hate this life, hate possessions, people, including loved ones, even ourselves and our bodies - anything and anyone that comes between us and Him, and put Him, His Word, and the Life He has for us as the only things worth living for. He says this life will be hard, but it will be more then worth it!

I can't speak for anyone else, but looking at my own life, it certainly doesn't look anything like this.  Suddenly, it seems that I have an awful lot of possessions that I don't need and that actually do hinder my life in Him. Yet, all the while, I'm wanting "more."  It seems that there are people in my life that shouldn't be as well as things; and desires I give in to that I shouldn't.  Suddenly too, I seem to feel very blessed, whereas before I was whining about what I didn't have and wanted.  He's certainly given me a lot to consider!