Ezra 4; Psalm 113, 127; Luke 9
Scripture: " ...'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.'"
Observation: I have heard Christ followers (and even non-believers) claim that their "cross to bear" is their sickness, or their wayward children, or their loss of a job. These are not crosses but circumstances. Very seldom are our circumstances the result of the denial of self, nor do we choose ("take up") them; however, the cross that Jesus carried was one that He willingly chose because He denied himself every earthly thing to which we feel we are entitled: comfort, personal time and space, family, financial stability, acceptance, job achievement, and finally, life itself.
Application: Christ plainly says this to me: " If you truly want to be my follower, you must be willing to see as unnecessary anything and everything that is more important to you than me." Definition of Sin--- Having my needs met by anyone or anything but God.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, You know what stands in the way of total surrender for me even if I don't. I confess that I think to "deny" myself an hour of sleep in the morning in order to read Your Word is a sacrifice. Please forgive me. I pray for believers in countries such as Pakistan, India, and China who may today give their very lives to follow You. I want to follow You with that kind of denial of self, but it's usually the little things (such as just wanting my own private time and space) that get in the way. Show me what denying self means for me here in the life You have planned for me. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment