Everyone has a list of things that they would die defending. Family, faith, country, and (some) friends are usually at the top of the list, and typically in that order. When you think about it, though, the highest measure of devotion isn’t what you’re willing to die for, but what you’re willing to live for.
In Ephesians 4:1-3, Paul writes
4:1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
When Paul says “walk in a manner worthy of the calling”, he’s really telling us that we should live our lives worthy of that calling. God asks us to live a certain way now that we are in Christ. Jesus Himself says in Luke 9:23,
“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
He also tells the church in Smyrna (in Revelation 2:10)
10 … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Sometimes living for Jesus means a martyr’s death. But more often, it leads to a life full of daily choices that we must make that reveals our true faithfulness (or lack thereof). God is glorified in our struggle to follow Him in these choices.
Make a list of all the things you’re willing to die for, then ask yourself if you’re willing to live for them, too.