“Then (Jesus) said to the crowd, “If any of
you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross
daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose
it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you
benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?” Luke 9:23-25 New Living Translation
Those
who were following Jesus knew what he meant by carrying your own cross, for
that is what the Romans made those who were to be crucified do. They were
forced to pick up their own vehicle of death and carry it to the crucifixion
site. In a spiritual sense Jesus is speaking of renouncing all selfish ambition
& secular concerns in favor of service for the Lord. The question we must
ask ourselves is are we simply giving lip service to the Lord or are we serious
about removing the vestiges of this world in favor of surrender to the will of
God?
There is nothing this world can offer you
that would compensate you for the loss of eternal life. This world is depraved
and dying. Sin has taken its’ toll on humanity. Without Christ there is no
hope. With Christ hope abounds. It is not in the evidence of God’s existence
that we base our faith, but in the spark that is ignited but the mention of his
name. There is majesty and glory in the
name.
Give up trying to make it in this life on
your own. That message is to believers as well as the unsaved. Fall back in the
loving arms of the Savior and bask in his love for you. What is our faith worth
if we don’t live it out? Count the cost
of being a disciple of Christ and never cease learning the things of God. Until
next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resource:
The Life Application Study Bible; The Reformation Study Bible.
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