My life is the most unique and precious thing I have, which is precisely why it is so important to surrender it to our Lord Jesus.

If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26 (NLT)

Most of us guard our own lives and those of our loved ones as best we can. Understanding this, Satan takes advantage of our propensity to put our own interests first. When the Lord stated his pleasure in Job’s steadfastness, Satan retorted that, if Job’s own body and health were afflicted with sickness and pain, he would quickly cast aside his faithfulness to God in a desperate effort to save himself.

Then the LORD asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.” 4  Satan replied to the LORD, “Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. 5  But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!” Job 2:3-5 (NLT) 

Thankfully Job did not succumb to the universal temptation to accuse God of evil when things go wrong. He clung to his determination to glorify God in all things. When his wife advised him to “curse God and die,” he responded:

…“You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong. Job 2:10 (NLT)

Everyone of us would prefer a relatively trouble-free life full of God’s blessings, which was essentially what Job enjoyed prior to this long trial of his faith.

When things are going well, it is easy to think we have faith, but, when things go “south,” we find out what is really there. Faith is like a muscle: it gets stronger the more it is exercised. Without testing, the quality of our faith remains unknown.

We may imagine that we will never be moved by adversity, but we cannot know until we are tested. King David wrote about this in a psalm.

When I felt secure, I said, "I will never be shaken." 7  O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 8  To you, O LORD, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: Psalm 30:6-8 (NIV) 

When Job’s faith was stretched to the limit, he became angry with God because he felt he was being treated unjustly, but he never turned his back on God. It is okay to question God, if we do not walk away from him. Interestingly God never answered Job’s questions. Instead, he revealed himself to Job in such a way that the need for such answers disappeared.

The more revelation we have of God’s glory and character, the less we question him.

Job uttered one of the most triumphant verses in Scripture when he was at his lowest.

Oh, that my words could be recorded. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument, 24  carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock. 25  “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. 26  And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! 27  I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! Job 19:23-27 (NLT) 

Little did he realize that this magnificent expression of faith would be memorialized in the Bible and read by countless millions of people, just as he requested!

We need to realize that how we handle things when we are hurting, confused, or in danger, is our opportunity for our faith to shine and give glory to God.

Holding fast to our confidence in God and his promises when we are at our lowest shows how much we love him, even above our own lives.

We admire those who courageously cast aside their own well-being to save others. The Medal of Honor is often given, sometimes posthumously, to such heroes. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down his life for His sheep.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7  Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8  But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:6-8 (NLT)

Our Lord told us that, if we really love one another, we will do the same.

Jesus challenges His disciples to cease trying to save or protect our lives, but instead willingly put them on the line in service to God’s kingdom.

In fact, he bluntly states that this quality determines whether we are really disciples.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. Matthew 16:24-25 (NLT)

This does not mean we should be careless or foolish. Rather we should carefully assess what God wants us to do and put his will ahead of self-preservation. A missionary named Jim Elliott said the following prior to be martyred by the Auca Indians:

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Every disciple will be tested in this area. What do we love more – God or our own lives? To be effective and to glorify God, our answer must clearly be the former.

Much of what we must endure in the way of God’s discipline relates to his delivering us from inordinate self-love.

Christians have no right to a self-protected life because we have been ransomed from the pit of destruction for one purpose only – to bring glory and honor to God. What good is a slave who only does what he wants to do with no regard for the master’s needs or wishes? He is not worth the purchase price; nevertheless, the church is filled with self-willed “servants of God.” We like to “talk the talk” but do not always embrace radical self-denial.

Adam and Eve failed this test miserably. Ever since then, God has been looking for those who will cast aside self-interest because of their love for him.

Paul said that his son in the faith, Timothy, was just such a man.

I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. 21  All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:20-21 (NLT) 

In God’s sight, putting God first is the essential element of the quality called faithfulness or loyalty to God.

Staying loyal to God when we encounter adversity requires us to be full of faith – faithful.

Our faith enables us to keep our eyes on the Lord and cling to his promises, sometimes against all odds, as Abraham did during the time when his faith was tested.

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21  He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22  And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23  And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24  for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Romans 4:20-24 (NLT)

Joseph was another man who clung to faithfulness during an extended test of his faith. This is what the psalmist said about him.

He sent a man ahead of them. He sent Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 18  They hurt his feet with shackles, and cut into his neck with an iron collar. 19  The LORD'S promise tested him through fiery trials until his prediction came true. Psalm 105:17-19 (GW) 

Lastly, Jesus had to endure this ultimate test of faith, too. When he hung naked upon the cross enduring the mockery and taunts of his enemies, he cast all his hope on his Father in heaven. Even his most pathetic statement made when he hung there was a testament to his faith in God’s faithfulness. It is necessary for us to read the full context of those famous words he uttered.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 2  O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 3  Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4  In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5  To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. Psalm 22:1-5 (ESV) 

Jesus never wavered from his loyalty to the Father. He put his trust in Abba’s promise to raise him from the dead, just as did Abraham.

Jesus gave up his life to receive it back again. This is what he asks us to do, too.

There is nothing we can give God in exchange for what He wants from us – our very life. We cannot buy off God with our tithes and offerings. We cannot deceive God into thinking we have given everything when we have not. We can gain the whole world in the pursuit of self-interests, but God will not be impressed at all. What He wants is a fully surrendered heart and a fully available life. This is our challenge. This is our quest. We rely on God’s Spirit to get us there.

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion

• Do you think that most Christians act as if they are stewards or the owners of their lives?
• Was there ever a time when in prayer you consciously and deliberately offered your life to God with no strings attached? If not, are you willing to do so now?
• Is God asking you to surrender some area that you have been withholding from him?