Topic: What Does It Mean to Throw Away Your Life? [RICK WARREN Devotional 16 October 2021]

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What Does It Mean to Throw Away Your Life?

BY RICK WARREN — OCTOBER 16, 2021
FROM CONNECTING WITH GOD: THE LORD’S PRAYER

“Give yourselves to God . . . and surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.”

Romans 6:13 (GNT)God wants you to learn to be a giver, not a taker. He wants you to surrender to Jesus by laying down every area of your life.

Jesus said, “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 TLB).

Notice the phrase “only those who throw away their lives.” What does it mean to throw away your life? It means you submit yourself to God for his purposes.

Romans 6:13 says, “Give yourselves to God . . . and surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes” (GNT). When you give yourself to God and let him use you, life becomes an adventure. That’s when you really start to live!

When you say, “Okay God, I’m not going to live for me anymore. Instead, I’m going to live for you and for other people. I’m going to learn to lay down my life and my plans,” God will provide for all of your needs. The Bible says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33 NLT).

How do you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern? You care about the things God cares about. God doesn’t care about money and fame. He doesn’t care about a lot of the things we care about. He cares most about people.

Surrender your life to God. Build your life around the things that are most important to him. He’ll make sure you have all you need, and you’ll find true purpose in life.

• Think of someone you know who lives for God’s purposes. What evidence do you see that they have “thrown away” their life?
• Why does surrendering to God lead to freedom and adventure?
• In what ways are you making people a primary concern? What’s one thing you can do to care for them better?