Luke 9:24 – For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

Lord Jesus, I want to follow you with reckless abandon. I want to follow you and totally lose myself in you. But I find it so easy to find my identity in accomplishments and successes, in doing and not doing, in what people say about me. I find it so easy to find my righteousness in myself instead of in you. I find it so hard to deny my own desires and given in to the desires of others. I find it hard to deny my own good in favor of what is good for others. I find it hard to not to seek my own kingdom’s success rather than your kingdom’s glory. O, Lord Jesus, I want to follow you and totally lose myself in you because I know that this means winning eternal life. Teach me, Lord Jesus, to find my identity wholly and only in you alone. My life is hidden with you in God and when you come back then everyone – including me – will see it. But for now, let me hide myself in your blood and righteousness; let me hide myself in your works for me. Your righteousness and your blood are my beauty and my glory. Teach me to put my hand to the plow and seek your kingdom and your glory alone. Lord Jesus, this week, I continue to thank you that you followed your Father’s will with reckless abandon. You put your hand to the plow and set your face like flint toward Jerusalem where you knew that death was coming. But that didn’t stop you, Jesus. You went and you lost your life so that I might have life. Yes, especially and only when you lost your life was eternal life won for me. Thank you Lord Jesus for your lost life. It means life eternal for me. Amen.