Everyone wants to live! Even those who make choices that leads to destruction are wanting to live. It is a part of how God created us; we all want life.
Jesus said in John 12:25, “He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.” (NASB) The word "life" is used three times in this verse. The first two is the Greek word "psuche." Psuche can be translated as soul or life. It can refer to the force that animates our bodies and it is also the seat of our thoughts, desires, attitudes, emotions, affections and aversions.
The third "life" is "zoe," which means eternal life. Eternal life is God's life. It is much more than a quantitative benefit; it is a quality that can only be expressed by God's nature and character. It is "goodness" and "rightness," it is "peace" and "joy." This is the life for which we are all created to hunger.
Even though we are all created with this "psuche" life, it is not the location of "zoe" life. God never intended for us to draw eternal life from our striving to gain life through our personalities, our career choices, our human relationships, or our procurement of "stuff." True life, eternal life, is His life. It is Christ's life in us being expressed in our thoughts, our attitudes, and our choices.
Jesus said we are to hate this psuche life. Of course he is contrasting His way with man's way. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (NASB) Basically, we have to hate our way to gain "life."
Today, embrace God's way. Surrender to His Life in you and fellowship with Him and you will express His thoughts, attitudes and choices!
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