It is harder to be dead while still living than to be dead when you are dead. The apostle Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” What he meant was that he no longer lived for himself but he lived his life for the service (as a servant) of Jesus Christ.
To do this means that you effectively have to die to your own desires, pleasure, will, reputation, well-being, etc. Then to live for the desire, pleasure, will, reputation (or name, or character), etc. of another, namely that of Jesus Christ.
When you die physically, you really do not care about anything – you won’t care what they say about you, you won’t care what they do with your money, you won’t care if they throw out your favourite rocking chair, you just won’t care.
But when you’re dead whilst alive, it is amazing how many times you will care about YOU! If you decide to follow Jesus fully and die to yourself and live for Him, you will have to remind yourself over and over and over and over again. And you will have to practise the art of not caring…about you.
