We were sitting on the ground on a hillside. He was standing down front beside a blazing campfire. At the end of his message he said, "If you are willing to give your life to Jesus Christ - to go wherever he wants you to go, to do whatever He wants you to do - then I ask you to stand up and come down here beside the campfire." I was just a teenager. But I got up and went down to the fire. Someone gave me a stick. The speaker said, 'That stick represents your life. I want you to take your stick and throw it into the fire. That means you are giving your life to Jesus. You are saying, "Jesus, I give my life to you. Whatever you want me to do I will do. Wherever you want me to go I will go. In fact, I will plan and prepare to go as a missionary for you. If you don't want me to be a missionary then please stop me."

      That night I took my stick and threw it into the fire. There were other students around me who did the same thing. After we threw our sticks on the fire the fire got bigger and brighter. And the missionary said, "If all of you go around the world and spread the gospel you will be like that flame and you also will shine bright for God." That night I did not realize how important that decision was. That decision that night changed my whole life. Because of that decision that night I went as a short term missionary to Puerto Rico, to Brazil and to the Philippines. Because of that decision that night in college I chose to major in cross-cultural communications. Because of that decision that night I married a girl who wanted to become a missionary. Because of that decision that night I have lived in Korea for 14 years. Because of that decision that night SYME was born. Because of that decision that night you came to SYME.

       When we finish today I want to challenge you to give your life to Jesus Christ - to go wherever he wants you to go, to do whatever He wants you to do. I want to encourage you to say, "YES, Jesus I want to follow you. I don't to make my plan and follow my plan. I want You to make my plan and I want to follow Your plan. If you want me to be a missionary I will be a missionary. If you want me to be a Christian business-man I will be a Christian businessman." But I want your plan.

       We read Mark 8:34-37. But today I would like to focus on verse 35. It says,

Mark 8:35

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's the same shall save it."

Do you understand that verse. Jesus is speaking and He says to you, "If you want to save your life, if you want to control your life, if you want to make your own plan for your own life. If you try to hold on to your life . . ." you will lose it, you will be the loser. BUT (Jesus says) if you let go of your life, if you let Me control your life, if you let Me make My plan for your life. If you live for Me and for the Gospel THAT is the way to life, that is the way to have a fulfilling life.

       When you were a child did you ever get something that was really valuable to you? Maybe it was something that you wanted for a long time. Maybe you saved your money and one day you were able to buy it. Maybe somebody gave you something really nice, really valuable. And you held it in your hand. It was yours. And then maybe someone else wanted it, maybe your brother or sister or a friend. And they said, "Let me hold it. Let me have it. I want it." And you said, "No, it's mine." And then maybe when you were not looking one day they took it, they grabbed it." And when you saw they had it what did you say? "Give it back. It's mine."

       Did you know . . . God made you. He made you special. You are valuable to Him. He wanted you for a long time. He holds your life in His hands. You are His. And then, as you have gotten older, one day you decided that you wanted to have your life, you wanted to take it, you wanted to control it. And so you took your life out of His hands and said, "Let me hold it. Let me have it. I want it." And Jesus says, "Your life - I made you - I bought you - I have a wonderful plan for you life - It's mine - And if you follow my way it's best. Please, give it back to me - it's mine."

1. YOUR HEART
       Romans 12:1 says to

Romans 12:1

"present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service."

Have you given your life to God? Have you given Him your body? First have you given Him your heart? Have you really believed in Him and received Him as your Savior? Have you confessed your sin to Him? You see, the first step is to give Him your heart.