Words from a Branch

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. John 12:25 ESV                 This formulation is found in every gospel, Mark 8:35, Matthew 10:39, 16:25, Luke 9:24, 14:26, and 17:33. John 12:24 says, “Truly, Truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies it bears much fruit. One life must end so that a greater life may begin. You cannot have your own life, and have the life of Christ abide in you. The call to follow Christ as these verses tell us is a call to die to self.   This is exactly as difficult as it sounds. The more we are invested in this life, the more difficult it is to lay this life down.                 We want to eat our cake and have it to. We want to keep our lives, and gain the eternal lif...

And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Mark 3:31-35 ESV             The term “Faith Family” is not one to be used lightly because it refers to a reality of the body of Christ. By his blood we are joined with a powerful bond, one which Jesus Himself says is greater than the bond of familial blood. The blood of Christ runs thicker than any strain of earthly blood. In part this is a reflection of the commitment each Christian has made to Christ which is above and before all others. This is made clear in Luke 14:26-27 with explicit refere...