The Joy of the Journey
Be a Loser
We live in a culture that teaches us that winning means getting ahead, being recognized, having control, and coming out on top. Success is often measured by what we gain, i.e., more money, more influence, more possessions and more attention. But Jesus introduced a completely different definition of victory. In the kingdom of God, sometimes losing is winning.
The apostle Paul captured this truth in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Paul understood that the greatest victory of the Christian life comes when we are willing to surrender ourselves completely to Christ. Christianity is not simply about becoming a better version of ourselves. It is about allowing the old self to die so that the life of Jesus can be seen through us.
Jesus expressed this same principle in Matthew 16:24–25: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up 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.” Those words sound almost backward in a world that constantly tells us to protect ourselves, promote ourselves, and put ourselves first. Yet Jesus teaches that the life we desperately try to hold onto can never compare with the life we discover when we surrender ourselves to Him.
Sometimes we have to lose so Christ can win in us. We lose our pride so Christ can develop humility. We lose bitterness so Christ can produce forgiveness. We lose selfish desires so His purpose can become greater than our preferences. We lose our need to control everything so that we can learn to trust the One who sees what we cannot see.
Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Paul had reached a place where life was no longer primarily about Paul. His identity, purpose, future, and hope were wrapped up in Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist expressed it just as clearly when he said of Jesus in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” That simple statement provides a powerful picture of Christian maturity: less of me and more of Him. Less of my agenda and more of His will. Less of my pride and more of His character. Less dependence on my strength and greater dependence on His power.
The Christian life is not about adding Jesus to the life we have already planned. It is about surrendering our lives to Him. Paul urges believers in Romans 12:1 to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” A sacrifice is surrendered. It no longer insists on having its own way.
That is where the beautiful paradox of following Christ becomes clear. When I surrender, I do not become weaker; I discover His strength. When I give up control, I discover His direction. When I lose myself, I begin discovering who God created me to be. When the old life is crucified with Christ, something far greater takes its place: Christ begins living through me.
Maybe winning is not always about what we gain. Perhaps some of our greatest victories will be found in what we are willing to lose. Lose the pride. Lose the bitterness. Lose the selfishness. Lose the need to control everything. Surrender yourself completely to Jesus. Because in the kingdom of God, losing yourself in Christ is not defeat… it is victory!
