²³Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.  (John 12:23-26)

Imagine being able to fast forward to the end of your life.  At that point in time, what would it look like?  Where would you be?  What would you have accomplished in life?  To me, your life would most likely end up in one of two possible points on a wide spectrum based upon whether you "loved your life" or whether you "hated your life" for the sake of following and glorifying God.  If you spent your entire life loving it, all the choices you make will inevitably be in response to this goal -- choices in terms of how you spend your time, money, energy, how you make career decisions, etc -- and at the end of your life you find yourself in a certain place way over to one side of the spectrum.  Maybe you'd pursue a higher salary, comfortable living conditions, cool stuff, a nice house, etc.  On the other hand, if you "hate your life in the world" and make glorifying Jesus as your highest priority, then the way you spend your time, money, energy, etc. would also look completely different, and after a lifetime of living life in this way, you'll end up way on the other side of the spectrum.  After you follow either trajectory long term, the final destination point for each of the two goals aren't even remotely close to each other. 

For me, there are a lot of things that I want for my life.  I have strong desires to teach and find my work rewarding, to get married to a beautiful girl who loves God, to live out an exciting adventure for God, and to choose how I can serve Him.  I'd love for things to be comfortable, to have friends, and to have lots of fun with people.  I'd like to be productive and to feel like my life has impact.

But what if God's will for me is totally different?  What if my job is difficult and not rewarding? What if I'm meant to be single for the rest of my life?  What if my life isn't comfortable?  What if my friends gossip about me and turn against me?  What if I end up not being able to do the things I want to do?   No matter what it may cost, am I willing to say, "Not my will, but yours, Lord?"   Jesus asks for it all.  A life truly following Jesus means potentially giving up everything -- do you have prerequisites or non-negotiables for God?  Do you have a set plan in mind for God and ask Him to sign at the "X" at the bottom of the contract to "bless" your will and desires, or do you simply sign the blank contract that God presents to you and trust Him with your whole life?

(also posted at http://www.adventureswithjesus.com )