Mark 8:31-34
When you choose to follow Jesus, might get caught between a rock and the Rock (Isaiah 26:4) If you ignore the demands of your friends, you face humiliation and rejection. Yet if you do the wrong...abusing yourself, others, Jesus.. you know God will be less thrilled, so you think.
Either way you die. So whats the use of picking sides? Jesus bluntly told his disciples that obeying God's plan would mean he would be mocked and killed on the cross. He was still determined to obey God. How many times in the past month have you felt mocked cause of your faith?
And Jesus said that anyone devoted to him must imitate him. Deny oneself and take up the cross daily. Swap your way for his way-totally. Obey him even when it hurts-even when you feel like you've been pierced with nails and all you can do is twist in pain.
Daring to stick with Jesus sometimes feels like you've been hung up to die.Tough stuff, huh? But Jesus promises that his way leads to life. I dont know about you but I love promises but us as humans have a tendacy to break them. Jesus NEVER has or will!
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Mark 8:34
Have you picked up the cross today?Are you stuggling with the cross? If so go to God in prayer, go to a Godly friend, a pastor, a leader in the church.
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4 comments:
I like the phrase..."why pick sides?" We already know the pros and cons of each.
Grace, love, acceptance, joy, peace if we choose to follow Christ, the God who never leaves, through the valleys of life....
Or...follow an unconsistent world with shallow rewards that last if only for a moment.
The battle isn't even close to being even!
To live is CHRIST...and it is to my gain!
Philippians 3:7-8
I was talking to a good friend of mine about this and we were both sharing how hard it is to obey God everyday and in everything we do. She told me something which has stuck with me ever since. She said that every morning during her quiet time she pledges her obedience to God because she knows that her obedience will always result the very best for her.
I love that and what a great reminder. God loves us and wants the very best for us and He would never ask us to do anything that will harm us. We can rest knowing that if we choose to ‘take up our cross for him daily’ then that decision will absolutely be the best thing we could ever do.
Honestly, the situation is kinda abnormal for me. Since I don't go to public school, I don't get the ridicule and mocking from other piers because of my faith. All the time I am around my friends who I have either known all of my life or go to church with.
So right now it seems as if I'm in my own comfort zone. I can only pray that one day when I'm out in real world circumstances (like in college and beyond) that God will help me face the challenges before me. I want to be able to take up the cross daily and follow him. I just have to keep building up my faith!
"Have you picked up the cross today?" Definitely the perfect question to ask yourself every night. I think it's safe to say that everyone struggles with following Jesus 100% every single day-too many things in the world get in the way. It's so easy for us to rely on another person to fill a hole or to feel complete, but, like you said, people don't keep promises like Jesus does. Most people probably wouldn't endure the pain and suffering that he went through for us either. So why is it so easy for us to just push him aside daily and turn our focus to temporary things? I don't think it will ever be easy to deny oneself and completely imitate Jesus, but that question in a way is an accountability tool and is a simple reminder of what he did for us and how we need to live each day through him.
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