Rick Warren Daily Devotional (May 9, 2025) What Does It Mean to Throw Away Your Life?
“Give yourselves to God . . . and surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.” Romans 6:13 (GNT)
Surrendering to Jesus means laying down every area of your life. God wants you to learn to be a giver in life, not a taker.
Jesus said, “If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live” (Mark 8:35 TLB).
What does it mean to “throw away” your life? It means you submit yourself to God for his purposes. Romans 6:13 says, “Give yourselves to God . . . and surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes” (GNT).
What happens when you do this? What happens when you say, “Okay, God, I’m not going to live for me. I’m going to live for you and for other people. I’m going to learn to lay down my life. I’m going to learn to lay down my plans”?
Here’s what the Bible promises: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33 NLT).
How do you “seek the Kingdom of God above all else”? You care about the things God cares about. What does he care about most? People. God doesn’t care about money. God doesn’t care about fame. God doesn’t care about a lot of things we care about.
When you surrender your life to God and prioritize the things he prioritizes, he will take care of all your needs.
So live a life of purpose. Be driven by God’s priorities—his kingdom! You’ll get the adventure of a lifetime!
Talk It Over
- Think of someone you know who lives for God’s purpose. How can you tell that person has “thrown away” his or her life?
- Why does surrendering to God lead to freedom and adventure?
- How are you making people your primary concern? If you’re not doing this, how can you prioritize people?
