Losing to Win, Serving to Lead, Dying to LiveSample

Dying to Live

Key Thought:

The only path to resurrection is through death — death to self, ego, and comfort. But on the other side is real, eternal life.

Devotional:

Jesus said a seed must fall into the ground and die before it can bear fruit (John 12:24). The same is true for us. We want life — abundant, joyful, meaningful — but we so often resist the path that gets us there: surrender.

Paul declared he had been crucified with Christ — it was no longer he who lived, but Christ in him. That’s not poetic language. It’s the spiritual reality of the kingdom. Life comes when we stop trying to be the centre of our own story.

Jim Elliot and his missionary team died trying to reach an unreached tribe. Years later, the very people who took their lives came to Christ through the forgiveness and persistence of their widows. The seed of their sacrifice produced eternal fruit. (Search: Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliott)

Pitfall to Avoid: Don’t hold on to what’s already decaying. When we refuse to let go, we block the resurrection life God wants to bring.

Question: Ask Jesus, “What in me needs to die so new life can grow?”