What did Jesus mean when he said, “…he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life”? (John 12:25). Are we to hate our life? Is God only pleased with us when we are miserable? I suppose most of us have met people who seemed to think so.
But Jesus is giving us a comparison. If we love our life in this world to the point that we refuse to lay down our life for his will, then we are cherishing ourselves above God. We must always remember that our life is temporary at best. Our physical bodies are mere seeds. Unless that seed dies, there can be no fruit produced.
Our love for God is so great that self preservation becomes secondary.
