The Tragedy of Self-Preservation

I am in Acts 21 and  we have another  reminder of our own need to hang onto our own lives loosely for the sake of the Gospel.

Friend, one of our basic psychological needs is to survive. We can be aware of this as we recoil from any thought of having any weakness exposed.  If you have ever told someone you are fine when you were dealing with issues, this is but another example where that need to survive kicks in

And, if we are honest with ourselves, our attempts to keep that happy face on is exhausting.  Here, though, we read of Paul being quite willing to face his own death. A very sobering thought!

But to put this another way,  we, like Paul do not need to be looking for ways to die to self, whether literally or figuratively.  Rather, we can be more focused on seeing the brokenness in others redeemed through the power of the Gospel…regardless of the cost.

Have you discovered the  immense freedom in holding onto God more than you hold onto the things of this world?