Everywhere you look, the story is the same when it comes to getting the most out of life. Colleges teach that knowledge is the stepping stone to greater privileges. Bookstores have scores of books declaring that to get the most out of life means doing what seems best to you. Do whatever you must to get ahead. Motivational seminars proclaim for you to put yourself first.
Proclaiming a great way to live your life, that opposes those philosophies, one unknown writer put it this way: “It is when we forget ourselves that we do things that are remembered.” Talk about an uncommon train of thought; that is one. Everything and everyone in the secular world oppose that way of thinking. But that way of living rings true in real life. When you are thinking about how to do something important, it often is illusive. The time you do not consider getting something out of it for yourself, is the time that something significant occurs.
Christ made it clear that following Him was no easy task. He taught that you could not be His follower and live like the world around you lives. Hard teachings. The result in His ministry is that the crowds began to dwindle. That same blueprint for living is to be lived by Christians today. Christ plainly spells that out: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me’” (Matthew 16:24; NASV). To be a Christian requires two conditions. First, you must deny yourself. You no longer do what you want. Second, you must follow Christ, no matter what.
To get to heaven requires you to live a life where the way up is down. The way to heaven is to submit to obeying Christ. Now, that is the best way to live your life!
