📊 Mark 8:35 | The Cost of Discipleship

📧In today’s email…

• 🧠 Passage context: The cost of discipleship

• 🤔 What’s stopping you?

• 📊 Tuesday trivia

🧠Memorize

_{see if you know what words go in the blanks}

For whoever would ____ his life will ____ it,

but whoever _____ ___ life for my sake and the ______’s will save it.

Mark 8:35

Passage Context 🤓

Let’s consider the language used in our memory verse this week and sit with it for a minute.

In a regular context, the idea of losing your life for someone or something can be quite provocative.

You would have to care deeply about whatever it is that requires such a sacrifice.

Perhaps what comes to mind is a child, spouse, or anyone else for whom you would lay down your life if required.

But what about for Jesus’s sake?

Although Christ might not be saying you will necessarily die for the gospel (although many have), He is emphasizing that to be a true disciple, we must be willing to follow where He leads.

Our life mission should prioritize His will and His truth over our own.

Verse 36 (immediately after our memory verse) gives us a great reason to live this way.

At the end of this life, when our personal cares, desires, and accomplishments no longer matter, what will?

I can’t help but think of the rich young ruler who interacts with Jesus in Matthew 19 …

The rich young ruler’s attachment to wealth hindered his ability to fully follow Jesus, showing that material gain cannot replace the value of one’s soul and eternal life.

How often does this hinder what God has in store for us, as well as the peace and comfort from walking in His ways rather than our own?

Reflecting on Mark 8:35 🤔

Take a few minutes today to spend time in quiet with the Lord, asking Him to bring awareness to this question:

What things are keeping me from “losing my life” for Jesus’ sake and the gospel’s today?

Maybe it’s one of these examples:

• 🛍️ Materialism: Prioritizing wealth, possessions, and financial security over spiritual growth and service.

• 😮‍💨 Pride: An inflated sense of self-importance that makes it difficult to submit to God’s will and acknowledge our need for His guidance.

• 🏃‍♂️ Busyness: A hectic lifestyle that leaves little time for prayer, worship, and reflection on God’s Word.

• 🤔 Doubt: Struggling with uncertainty about God’s promises, leading to a lack of trust and obedience.

• 👀 Sinful Habits: Patterns of behavior that are contrary to God’s teachings and keep us from fully experiencing a life lived in peace.

So…

What needs to change in order for you to fully lay down your life today?

I don’t think there is a single one of us reading this who don’t struggle with these things at some point.

Ask God to reveal the underlying reason beneath these fleshly desires this week and to give you the wisdom to change. 🙏

✍️ If you’re a journaler, consider writing down at the end of the day about the specific times you felt these hindrances appear in your thoughts today.

Tuesday Trivia Brought To You By TUVU 📊

Today’s trivia question is brought to you by Tuvu, a new social media app built for Christians.

One of the main reasons I dislike Instagram and Facebook as a consumer is because of how ridden they are with ads.

And just about every ad on these platforms is telling our heart the same lie:

You’ll be happier if you have ________.

The good news is that TUVU is completely ad free and your data will never be sold to advertisers.

PLUS: Malachi Daily subscribers get a free 30-day trial! Click below to give it a try 👇️ 

_{*Please consider supporting our partner! They help us keep Malachi Daily free!} 🙂

Answer key ✅

For whoever would save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Mark 8:35