Two Ways to Live, Preach and Die

There really are only two ways to live: for self, or for Christ. We will either think it is all about us, all based on us, or we will believe that it is all about Jesus. We will live for our sake or Christ's. On a practical level, in daily living, there is a fine line between trust in self and trust in God, although the end result is poles apart. 2 Cor. 5:15 tells us Christ died so that those who live "might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."

There are really only two ways to preach: self-dependently, by coming to the Word with our thoughts and finding things in God's Word that supports what we already think, or God-dependently, trusting God to transform our thoughts and reveal His truth. We'll either read into it what we want, thereby twisting the message, or read out of it what God says, allowing Him to transform our souls. It is a delicate balance. We are called to rightly handle "the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).

There are really only two ways to die: either high-handedly trusting in self-sufficiency or trusting completely in Christ's sufficiency. The first leads to death, the second to life. God is sovereign over all. He endures with patience "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction" so that He might show mercy to "vessels of mercy" which He has prepared for glory (Rom. 9:22-23).

Each of the self-oriented ways leads to failure. Each of the God-focused ways leads to victory. No matter what anyone does or says or thinks, God's truth stands and Christ reigns supreme.