“For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?”
~Mark 8:36-37
Living fully and faithfully in the Spirit leads, unfailingly, to transformation. We cannot keep living our lives as is, gaining what the world offers us without giving over, well, everything. That is a pretty consistent biblical message, one that I know I try to avoid. Honestly, it seems impossible to surrender everything to God, so I often don’t even try. Yet the call and the invitation remain. So how do I respond? How do I you respond?
What things of this world – this country – this economic system we call capitalism – what of this will you walk away from in order to walk toward the Life of Love?
This is a hard one for me. There is so much about my life that I love. So much that I would dearly miss if it weren’t part of my life. A home. Financial resources and stability. My beloved husband and children. The ability to eat out regularly. Seriously! Sometimes it’s the seemingly little things that I cling to with the strongest grip. And these apparently small things can be the biggest blocks in my relationship with Spirit within community.
In contemplation and openness, consider the following queries:
What do you cling to?
What is God asking you to release?
What is your response to this invitation into sacrifice?
What is one thing that stunts your relationship with Spirit that you can begin to lay down this day?
What will you give in return for your life?