Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

Luke 17:33 KJV

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Matthew 10:39 KJV

Perhaps one of the most enigmatic phrases to the carnal observer would be this one, largely because it is so simple.  He has hidden things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to babes.  Instinctive to nearly every human being who has not been otherwise affected is the basic drive for self-survival, self-preservation.  It is at a core part of their being.  In a human realm, such as in gangs and the mafia, only a greater fear than death itself is capable of overcoming such an innate, core part of our human nature.  We fear death, and losing our self, and yet, this is at the core of not only the Gospel, yet of love itself.  To love is to lose yourself, and yet retain it.

This verse is perplexing only in a natural sense, however, to mind of man, and not to God.  Many have of course tried to fulfill this in their flesh, only to fail again and again, and some have set up whole camps for doctrines of thought around the whole idea that we should simply not try and just “let God”.  While this may sound wonderfully and spiritual, the plain fact remains that we were given instruction for a reason, if we could just know how to apply it!

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