TO DIE FOR By Rhonda Rhea

I was signing books after a speaking engagement this week and I was telling the folks how "valuable" the books became once they had my signature in them (clearing throat here). Oh, yeah. Get the author's signature and you can sell those puppies on E-bay for gajillions.

Especially if I die.

Though I did tell them I probably wasn't willing to go quite that far for them. I liked those folks a lot, mind you, but the whole death thing seemed just a little too far to go to give them a good value for their book dollar.

On the other hand, if we don't have SOMETHING in our lives we're willing to die for, we don't really have anything in our lives worth living for. Jesus said in Luke 9:23-25, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" (NIV).

Taking up the cross of Christ daily? Denying self? Dying to my way to follow his? Sounds a little extreme, doesn't it? Yet following him is the only way to find a life of extreme peace, extreme joy and extreme purpose.

Every once in a while I have to ask myself if I'm ever and always ready and "extremely" willing to give Jesus my all. Loving him gives life real meaning. And real value. Even without a signature.

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts" Colossians 3:15