Paradox is never far away from Christianity. It’s even evident in just the last week of Jesus’ life; the sinless man who submitted to a criminal’s death, the messiah who enraged the religious elite, the king who rode into town on a donkey.

‘Apart from me you can do nothing,’ said Jesus as that final week drew to a close. His words were not designed to boost His own ego, but to invite all of us to partner with Him.

And it is in that partnership that we find one of the greatest paradoxes of all. If we give up our plans, surrender our ambition and throw out the desire to make a name for ourselves, He will use us to do far, far more than we ever could accomplish on our own.

Success – the sort that lasts, that transforms the world and satisfies us to the very depths of our souls – is found when we submit all we have to God.

Longevity – the sort that outlasts even this life we live on earth – begins today.