"THE GIFT" - Real Life!

"And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for My sake, the same shall save it." (Luke 9:23 & 24) There was something that happen in the Garden of Eden, a long time ago, it was called death. Not really a physical death, but a spiritual death; which caused man to be separated from his Life Source: He who's breath was breathed into man's nostrils, and man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). To truly receive the Gift of Salvation, one must realize the true meaning of what they are receiving: it is not about making our life here better! In the opening verse, Jesus said that we are to "take up our cross daily", this is not a good thing (in case you did not know); this is a sign of humiliation, which is why Jesus said beforehand, "let him deny himself". The cross of Christ represents His death as suffering and connects it with the curse of sin; His suffering on the cross showed our redemption being given and accomplished by the deepest humiliation, not by the display of power and glory. To "take up his cross" refers to carrying the cross, which alludes to the Roman custom of making the criminal carry the cross on which he was to suffer. If you really think about it, this form of punishment puts many different degrees of humiliation upon the one who is to be crucified; mainly, or more profoundly, that the one being crucified, is actually participating in carrying out his own crucifixion. How humiliating is that? It is not that God wants us to be humiliated, that is not the meaning of this Scripture; but rather, He wants us to realize the Life which we are given far surpasses this life which we have. And in realizing how important our Life in Jesus Christ is, there is nothing that this world has to offer (not even physical life) that can even begin to compare! You see; that iron axe head was doomed (dead) at the bottom of the river, but the qualities of that wood, which floated upon the water (life), brought that axe head to the surface, and caused it to float also (redemption). That is the kind of Life Jesus gives: Life that is in Him; Real Life straight from the Father's breath...The Breath of Life!