Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it. Whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. In your patience possess ye your souls.

Remember Lot’s wife. A life she had in Sodom. Flee from Sodom she was called to do. Ran out she partially did. She looked back, longing for her former life. A pillar of salt she became, rooted to the spot. Seeking to save her life, she lost it.

Whosoever seeks to save his life shall lose it. In ease he seeks to possess his soul. All the calculations, all the weighing of pros and cons, all the love of ease and the praise of men, and all the clinging to the comforts of the familiar will serve only for the loss of life. Saving his life—earthly wisdom—he shall lose it.

Whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. This is the heavenly wisdom Christ teaches.

“In your patience possess ye your souls.”

Jesus speaks of the last days; and, behold, it is the last days. Ever since Christ Jesus went to heaven, it has been the last days, the last hour. Thus the gospel, the church, and believers exist in the world as it were imperiled every moment. Seducers and false prophets shall come and say they are Christ, and many shall be deceived. Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Nation will rise against nation, wars and rumors of wars will terrify multitudes. Great earthquakes, famines, pestilences, and fearful sights will make the hearts of many shake.

Worse, enemies will lay hands on you and persecute you and deliver you up before the church and the world, before kings and governors. Fear not! Christ will be in your heart and mouth by his Spirit to give you an answer. And you will seal your doctrine in your persecution, a testimony that the adversaries will be unable to gainsay or resist. You will be betrayed by parents, brothers, sisters, kinsfolk, and friends. You will be hated of all men for Christ’s sake and for the word of the gospel that you speak and that you represent.

In that possess your souls! 

The word souls means lives. Imperative. You keep them. You save your lives! You do not lose them.

In your patience, brethren. Precious gift of the Holy Spirit. 

Patience is endurance. It is endurance especially of suffering. Here suffering for the sake of Christ and of the gospel at the hands of those who hate Christ, the gospel, and also you for the gospel’s sake. Steadfastly, in the face of the intense suffering for the gospel’s sake, faith clings to Christ, to his promise, and to the hope of glory. The believer lays his soul and his life in the hand of God as his God, trusting his promise that he cares for him and that all things are for his profit.

Naturally, every man desires to possess his life in safety. He gathers to himself many arguments, many aids, many fortresses, and many defenses to keep his life in safety.

Christ here teaches a different way. “In your patience possess ye your souls.” That we every day and in every way are prepared to die, to suffer under the cross. Being ready always to cast away all for Christ’s sake.

Losing our lives, we shall save them!