The Great Exchange

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it:
 and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 16:25

Many have made some incredulous claims from the pulpit about what it is to follow Christ. Some claim that their life will become effortless through a simple prayer. Others claim that a mere whisper of His name will give them life eternal and that everything that they need has been freely given in the sacrifice of Christ…but is it really true? Rarely do we speak of the cost or the Great Exchange that heaven made on our behalf. Was the cross really just a free gift with no effort on our part? With no expectation on this side of heaven many converts make waste of this wonderful gift believing that obedience is arbitrary and optional. The masses leave the altars of evangelistic outreach believing they have now completed their prerequisite to get to heaven just to go back into the vomit of their former sin. Little do they know that their simple prayer was really an enlistment to become part of God’s great army of warriors who now have made a commitment to establish His kingdom here on earth. What was Jesus really saying when He said, “Whoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it?” What do we find? I propose that Jesus was calling all His disciples to make an exchange: My life for yours, my bloody body for your health, peace and salvation. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
 

We have grossly overlooked this passage and have found ways to keep our lives, not really realizing we cannot have His life while keeping ours. I have seen many Christians still keeping their old ways, their old habits, old friends, way of thinking and talking with little or no evidence of being that new creation the bible talks about. I believe that we should become so like Him that the life we now live would have no trace of who we were before. Sadly, the world and culture has crept into the church. The church has used the lure of entertainment and worldly tactics to keep congregations content but they are far from looking like the Savior they claim to serve or know. Their lives remain complacent with no respect to the sacrifice or life that was given in exchange for theirs. We still want the tangible instead of the intangible. We have made back pocket deal with God with a back door option just in case things don’t work out. We keep our pet sins in our back pocket all the while keep the back door open for us to go MIA (Missing in Action) just in case things get hard or we get offended. We insult the Spirit of grace with our lack of reverence in the name of being relevant to a culture who believes that real love is keeping quiet about the things of Christ. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13) Let me ask you this, “Are you God’s friend?” We all see this in light of Jesus laying His life down for us but I believe this goes both ways. What are you willing to give up for this Great Exchange? Have you really given up your old life in exchange for His or are you still holding on to your old life? If you are to be a disciple of Christ and want to partake of that resurrected life you must lose your life and leave this life for His. 
Jaziz Gutierrez

http://www.loverevivalrevolution.com