Have you ever heard someone say, “It’s my life. I should be able to do what I want with it?” Of course you have. I would be willing to bet that most of us have said that, or at least felt it, at various times in our lives. We usually say it when a parent or other authority figure is making demands upon us that we resent.

I suppose there is a place for that sentiment in a case where one human being, an institution, or maybe even a government, has so encroached upon someone’s individual liberty, that the victim wishes to declare his independence from such tyranny. As Americans, we strongly identify with such sentiments.

But we should be careful here.

It is only “my life” in a limited sense, and with respect to other people. What I am trying to say is that, our lives are not our own. We Christians actually belong to Someone Else. We are bond servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. We were not created to just to “enjoy life” in the sense of fulfilling the lusts of our flesh, or any other perceived need. Our lives were not given to us by God so that we might pamper and serve ourselves. We were not given life for its own sake. Our lives are meant to have a purpose outside ourselves.

Jesus is our example. He, the creator and sustainer of the universe, humbled Himself and took on flesh to live like other men. He experienced all the troubles and trials and frustrations of average men, and many more besides. He was poor, as men count wealth. We do not read of Him taking frequent vacations and long weekends because of the stress of His ministry work. We do not read of Him taking off early to throw back a few brews and relax. Even when He was only twelve years old, He was already in the saddle, going about His Father’s business.

We are all familiar with the story of the Passion. We have a rough idea of the agony Jesus sufffered, and we know He did not suffer it on His own account. He suffered it for us. He lived, suffered, and died—for us. He who sat astride the universe, spent His entire thirty-three years on earth on our behalf.
If you are a Christian, your life is not your own. With Jesus as your example, you are to live your life sacrificially for others. No, it doesn’t matter that they don’t deserve it. They don’t. Neither did you deserve that Jesus, who never committed the least sin, should suffer and die for you, so that you might have the reward which only He deserved.

We have no excuse. We will not likely have to suffer anything like what Jesus suffered in His flesh and spirit on our account. We just need to accept that our lives are not to be primarily about us. The reward will not go to those who took care of their own needs. It will go to those who, setting aside their own needs, took up their cross and cared for the needs of their neighbor.