The Divine Mystery of Gain in Loss

11-27-06
Whoever seeks to gain his life must lose it…
Whatever (except Christ) I wish to gain, I must first lose. Anything I think to have which I do not have in Christ, I do not actually have at all. Whatever I lose for the sake of Christ, I gain in Christ. I must not, however, attempt to lose anything (whatever it may be) with the goal of gaining it- thereby using Christ. Rather when I lose something for Christ, I am to forfeit all affections (desires/ longings) for that thing in order that the affection may be devoted completely to Christ (this is what is meant by losing it). This takes great faith. I first must believe that having Christ is better than having that thing. I must also believe (as Christ promises) that I will indeed (and truly) have that thing (and all the God-centered pleasure that is supposed to accompany it) in Christ; for I cannot actually have anything that I do not have in Christ. Any joy we think we derive from things in this world apart from God is not joy at all, but utter depravity. Nothing in this world can possibly yield true joy to us unless it (the thing itself and the joy) is had by us in Christ; given by Christ, experienced through Christ, and enjoyed unto the splendor of the glory of Christ. We must let go of every low joy. In fact, we must come to see (by faith) that what we are holding on to is actually nothing at all and that our "letting go" is in fact a "hanging on" to what is really there. Those things that we so tightly hold on to in this life are not things at all; we are holding on to no-thing. We must let go in order to grasp hold of The-thing.
This has huge implications in my life. My heart (every second) is chasing and longing after so many things. God is saying to me "Jacob; do you really want it!? Then lose it! Lose it for MY sake". I can only imagine what glorious freedom would be granted to me if I truly believed this to the depth of my being. What freedom I would have if my heart was united in its singular pursuit after God (the Invisible) trusting that He is more real and more satisfying than the Visible- and trusting that everything I lose for His sake I will gain a hundred fold in the life to come. Oh God, grant me this faith-this freedom!

"You want to gain your life, don't you? Then lose it!"
"You want to gain your friends, don't you? Then lose them!"
"You want to gain your wife, don't you? Then lose her!"
"You want to gain your children, don't you? Then lose them!"
"Lose it all, and turn to Me...that you may have the All in All!"

Oh God, grant to your people eyes to see!