Losing to Win, Serving to Lead, Dying to LiveSample

Losing to Win

Key Thought:

Jesus calls us to surrender our lives — not just our sin, but our dreams, preferences, and control — and in that loss, we find real life.

Devotional:

We’re trained to preserve ourselves — to win, protect, defend. But Jesus says, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matt. 16:25). It’s the paradox of the gospel: You seem to get more when you give everything up.

Paul knew this too. He said he counted all things as loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Phil. 3:7–8). Real gain is not found in status or comfort, but in surrender.

A missionary couple sold everything and moved to a remote island. Years later, their children asked why they had “lost so much.” The father answered, “We didn’t lose anything. We found joy, purpose, and more family than we ever imagined.”

Julia and I have also found this to be true. Where others think we have suffered some losses, it turned out to be a significant win due to His saving grace and rescue.

Pitfall to Avoid: Don’t confuse control with security. The safest place to be is fully surrendered to Christ.

Question: What is Jesus asking you to lay down right now?