None of you can be my disciples unless you give up everything.
Luke 14:33
What does it mean to love Jesus more than your own life? Not a lot of people really know the answer to that Q. It’s human nature to think of yourself first, and thinking of someone else first is downright divine. After all, it’s your feelings that race through your body, your eyes that see the world, and your heart that feels the pain of rejection, worry, fear, loneliness, and even love. With all these feelings and experiences, it’s hard to focus on something other than yourself, yet that’s what Jesus wants you to do—to think about him more than yourself. He wants you to love him with all of your heart, not just a part of it.
Anything in your heart that isn’t holy is not from Jesus and is direct evidence that you love your own life more than his. But don’t freak— that doesn’t mean you’re a lost cause; it just means you’re human. Thank God that his grace is freely given to those who realize the error of their ways! So check your life and find those areas of unholiness that make your life miserable or broken. Find out where you need healing, and then decide that your desires aren’t as important as his. Let go of anything that puts focus on your own life rather than the life of Jesus in you. Make him, his Word, and his character the most important things in your life, and let him know it. Imitate him. Believe him and look at your life through his eyes instead of your own. When you do, you will find that your life and your spirit calm down and all becomes right with the world.