As the grip loosened, fear and chaos coursed through my veins. What will happened if I lose it all? Everything I’ve worked for and all the time I’ve spent, it will all be gone. What if people think differently about me? Would I lose my family, house, position?

What would you think if you lost you place or nation? How much security do you find in those things? In Christ’s time, people feared these same things. They were afraid of losing their earthly security in order that they might gain eternal security. The grip of earth is so tight. The things that God gave us to bless Him, so often we use to bless ourselves. Don’t allow the temporary to ruin the eternal.

The Jews were scared of losing it all. They were afraid of losing their place and nation. They would sooner hold onto their earthly position than gain an eternal position. They said:  “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation”. How could they miss their Messiah because they were afraid of losing their place and nation. Nations will rise and fall. Place will come and go. But belief with Christ is life forever.

So what’s in your life that seems to grip you so strongly. What are you afraid of losing? What one thing, if God would ask for you to let go would be the hardest? Do not hold so tightly to earthly places or positions that you miss the real blessing of belief and life in Jesus.

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him, 46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death.  John 11:45-53