There were two women. One of them, a driven young professional, planned her whole life. She graduated from college, got her dream job, and worked hard her whole life, often sacrificing relationships to get herself ahead and to accomplish her goals. When there were choices between doing something that furthered her goals or serving others, she would undoubtedly choose the former. She built her life in the very way she wanted, never submitting to anyone's suggestions if they did not fit her agenda.
The other woman, the first's roommate in college, was an avid servant. She would spend hours building relationships with the people she felt called to love. She helped others move, she paid other people's rent if they couldn't make it, she even visited prison convicts. She would volunteer at the local food shelf every weekend, which is where she met her husband. They both felt called to help the needy and less fortunate, and so they decided to become missionaries to North Africa. While their, he was killed while delivering medical supplies to a hospital and she was thrown in prison for teaching english to Muslim children. She lived out the rest of her life in submission and service.
Both of the women died at the same time on the same day. Jesus was there as they got to the gates of heaven. He looked at both of them and smiled. To the first woman, the missionary woman, Jesus hugged her close and said with a voice as gentle as velvet, "Welcome. Come, step into my Kingdom. For you have served Me with your whole life and for that you have received life eternal." He then opened His arms and ushered her past Him into heaven.
Jesus the went to the other woman. His expression changed to a somber one as He spoke sadly, "My child, you built your life upon yourself. All that you did was for your own sake and for your own ambition. Because you continually put your will before Mine, you have lived your life away from Me. You served your goals and neglected what I had for you. Because of this, you have forfeited your life and will spend eternity apart from me." With that, Jesus turned away from her, leaving her sobbing in darkness for all eternity.
Jesus said in unambiguous language that, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take us his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done (Matt. 16:24-28)."
The point is priority. What will we value: God or ourselves? Our answer to this question will play itself out in how we live. If we value God first, then we will live our lives focused on what He has for us. Conversely, if we value ourselves first, then we will live our lives focused inward on what we think is best for ourselves. To discover which one we may be, one need only look at the minutiae: if you continually see yourself behaving selfishly or looking to your own interests, then you probably are living a self-focused life. Whereas if you find yourself seizing opportunities to love and serve others, then you are probably living a God-focused life.
While this may seem like a distant question, it is essential and has eternal weight to it. In both of these cases, the relevant next-step is prayer and worship. In order for us to start or keep submitting ourselves to the will of God, we need to be pursuing that will on a moment-by-moment basis. Let us then come to Him in faith as to lay down our lives so as to pick up the life He has for us!
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