1 Peter 4.2 observes, he spends the rest of his time on earth concerned about the will of God and not human desires.

The focus of the Christian is to be the same focus as Jesus Christ the Lord. That focus is upon doing the will of God regardless of result or cost.

As humans we begin our lives self-focused. Everything is about us from infancy. The child portrays this truth early and often. We never evolve from this focus if we do not lose our lives by giving them over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is why He observes that, unless we lose our lives for Him and His mission, we cannot keep them for eternal life.

Losing our lives is not the taking of our lives in a suicidal mission for glory like some other religion practices. The christian lays down their life in submission to God in order to do the will of God for the glory of God. Jesus stated that He came not to do His will but the will of Him Who sent Him.

Christians are no longer predisposed to doing their will but the will of Him Who saved them; at least that is what we are supposed to do as Peter reminds us. The two things we must know and differentiate from are the will of God and human desires. They are obviously not the same as Peter makes clear. Sometimes we think they are the same but they are not.

The will of God is for all people everywhere to love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. The accomplishment of this task is assigned to His people for convincing everyone else the wisdom of such living.

The desires of humans are to live self centered lives oriented around recognition and comfort. We want the love and respect of others while living the way we deem best.

Living sacrificially so that people can benefit specifically by having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ is far different from living selfishly so that I can spend sacrificially on the things I believe will bring me the most happiness and acceptance.

So are we Christians or not? The answer can be found in what concerns us most.