John 12:25 - Real Living

He that loveth his life shall lose it;
and he that hateth his life in this world
shall keep it unto life eternal.
John 12:25 (KJV)

Jesus employs the paradox of the man who, for the love of his temporal,
physical life, becomes a loser of eternal life. The man whose priorities are
right, who makes the things of God primary, will keep his life eternally.
[Believer's SB]

It is always because men have been prepared to die that the great things
have lived. But it becomes more personal than that. It is sometimes only
when a man buries his personal aims and ambitions that he begins to be of
real use to God. Cosmo Lang became Archbishop of Canterbury. At one time he
had had great worldly ambitions. A godly friend's influence led him to
abandon these and enter the Church of England. When he was studying for the
ministry at Cuddesdon, one day as he was praying in the chapel he heard
unmistakably a voice saying to him: "You are wanted!" It was when he had
buried his personal ambitions that he became useful to God. By death comes
life. By the loyalty which was true to death there have been preserved and
born the most precious things which humanity possesses. By the death of
personal desire and personal ambition a man becomes a servant of God.
[Barclay Commentary]

We must be so committed to living for Christ that we "hate" our lives by
comparison. This does not mean that we long to die or that we are careless
or destructive with the life God has given, but that we are willing to die
if doing so will glorify Christ. We must disown the tyrannical rule of our
own self-centeredness. By laying aside our striving for advantage, security,
and pleasure, we can serve God lovingly and freely. Releasing control of our
lives and transferring control to Christ bring eternal life and genuine joy.
[Life Application SB]