Are You Living Your Life for Jesus' Sake ?

Are you living your life for Jesus’ sake and the sake of the Gospel, or are you living for yourself, pursuing your own desires? Is He your Savior, or have you also made Him your Lord, allowing Him to guide and rule your life? 

There is a difference.  For Lord Jesus to be your Savior means you have confessed with your mouth, Lord Jesus, and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead. You will be saved according to Romans 10:9.  For Lord Jesus to be your Lord means you give him permission to rule, lead, and guide you as you yield yourselves as servants of righteousness unto Him. (Psalm 23 and Romans 6:16-22, NKJV)

In a world that constantly tells us to chase after our desires, to live for self-fulfillment, and to prioritize personal happiness, Lord Jesus calls His followers to a life that is radically different. He calls us to a life of surrender, sacrifice, and devotion. He calls us to live for His sake and the sake of the Gospel.

The Call to Deny Ourselves

Jesus’ words in Mark 8:34-38 (TPT) are both sobering and powerful:

“If you truly want to follow me, you must at once completely disown your own life. And you must be willing to share my cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways. For if you let your life go for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel, you will continually experience true life. But if you choose to keep your life for yourself, you will forfeit what you try to keep. For what use is it to gain all the wealth and power of this world, with everything it could offer you, at the cost of your own life? And what could be more valuable to you than your own soul? If you are ashamed of me and my words, while living among sinful and faithless people, then I, the Son of Man, will also be ashamed of you when I make my appearance with his holy messengers in the glorious splendor of my Father!”

This passage makes it clear: following Jesus requires total surrender. It means letting go of our ways, dreams, and ambitions in exchange for His. It means embracing His cross as our own, dying to self, and walking in obedience.

The phrase “take up your cross” comes from the Greek word stauros, which means a stake or post (as set upright), i.e. (specially), a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment); figuratively, exposure to death, i.e. self-denial (Blue Letter Bible). Jesus was calling His followers to a life of self-denial, a willingness to endure suffering, and a commitment to follow Him no matter the cost. He had demonstrated to his disciples (apostles) that He was doing the will of His Father. Jesus became the ultimate living sacrifice by laying down His life for us. In return, He calls us to lay down our lives as living sacrifices, fully surrendered to Him.

After the apostles saw Jesus ascend to heaven, they received the Holy Ghost; they were never the same. They were so committed to Christ that they refused to stop preaching the Gospel even when threatened. Acts 4:1-22 records how Peter and John boldly proclaimed Lord Jesus despite persecution. They no longer lived for themselves but for the sake of the Lord Jesus and His Gospel, empowered by the Holy Ghost.

Counting the Cost

Luke 14:25-33 (TPT) further illustrates the seriousness of following Jesus:

“As massive crowds followed Jesus, he turned to them and said, ‘When you follow me as my disciple, you must put aside your father, your mother, your wife, your sisters, your brothers—yes, you will even seem as though you hate your own life. This is the price you’ll pay to be considered one of my followers. Anyone who comes to me must be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple. So don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you. For who would construct a house before first sitting down to estimate the cost to complete it?Otherwise, he may lay the foundation and not be able to finish. The neighbors will ridicule him, saying, ‘Look at him! He started to build but couldn’t complete it!’ So likewise, unless you surrender all to me, giving up all you possess, you cannot be one of my disciples.”

Jesus makes it abundantly clear—that following Him is costly. It requires putting Him above everything and everyone else. It means forsaking all that we hold dear to make Him our everything. Anything we put and exalted before Him is an idol or a god. The Lord stated in Exodus 20:3-5 that he should not have any other gods before him and not serve them, for He is a jealous God.

Many profess to follow Jesus, but few truly count the cost. It’s easy to say we love Him, but are we willing to surrender our time, comfort, resources, and lives for Him? Are we willing to give up everything, even our desires and plans, for the sake of His Kingdom?

Becoming a Living Sacrifice

Paul echoes this call to surrender in Romans 12:1-2 (TPT):

“Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be his sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights his heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”

Being a living sacrifice means we offer ourselves daily to the Lord Jesus. We allow Him to be Lord, Ruler, and the Boss of us. As we surrender and offer him the sacrifice of our praise with thanksgiving, the Lord Jesus inhabits our praise and showers us with a constant overflow of his love, removing the spirit of heaviness and softening our hearts. Also, he puts his words in our minds, writes his laws on our hearts, and puts his desire to do His will in our hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33 NKJV) He sanctifies, cleanses and washes us with the "washing of his word" and removes the spots, blemishes, and wrinkles from our lives so that he can present us to Himself as a glorious church. (Ephesian 5:25-27 KJV)

Our lives are no longer our own. We belong to God. He has brought us with the price of Lord Jesus’ precious blood. Therefore, we should glorify our bodies, spirits, and very lives. (1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV) Every decision, every action, and every goal should be based on His will, not ours. This is true worship—not just singing on Sundays, but laying down our lives daily in obedience to Him.

As Daughters of the King, we must ask ourselves: Are we living sacrifices or still holding onto control? Are we conforming to the world’s standards or allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us?

Living for the Sake of the Gospel

Jesus didn’t just call us to believe in Him—He called us to live for the sake of the Gospel. That means spreading His message, disciplining others, and living in a way that reflects His love and truth. We are living epistles that reflect the transformative work of Christ, read by men. 

We are also “the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2 Corinthians 2:15 NKJV)  We are representatives and ambassadors of Christ wherever we are—whether in our homes, workplaces, or communities. Our lives should be living testimonies of His goodness.

A storm is coming, and the Lord God desires no one to be lost and forever separated from Him.  Lord God desires everyone to come back home to him through His salvation plan. He has saved us and the commission to share the Gospel with others and live the Gospel. 

Living for the Gospel means:

• Sharing the good news of Jesus boldly, without fear or shame.

• Serving others with love and humility.

• Living righteously, refusing to compromise our faith.

• Putting God’s Kingdom first in our decisions and priorities.

The Reward of True Surrender

Though following the Lord Jesus requires sacrifice, the reward is far greater. He promises true life to those who lose their lives for His sake, a life filled with purpose, peace, joy, and eternal rewards.

When we surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, we find our true identity as Daughters of the King. We step into the fullness of who He created us to be. We experience His power working in and through us, and we impact lives for eternity.

A Call to Action

My dear sister, it’s time to stop living for yourself and start living for the Lord Jesus. He is coming back soon, and you have no time to waste.  If you have been holding onto control, chasing after worldly success, or prioritizing your desires above God’s will, today is the day to surrender. “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” (Hebrew 3:15 NLT)

Ask yourself:

• Am I truly living for Jesus’ sake and the sake of the Gospel?

• Is Lord Jesus my Savior and Lord 

• What areas of my life am I still holding onto?

• Am I willing to count the cost and lay everything down for Him?

Commit today to be a living sacrifice, fully surrendered to Christ. Choose to live for the Gospel, to walk in obedience, and to glorify God in everything you do.

Let’s be Kingdom Minded Women who live not for ourselves but for our King and His glorious Kingdom!