Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said,
"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish
ways, take up your cross, 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 and for the sake of
the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole
world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone
is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of
Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father
with the holy angels." Mark 8:34-38
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross offers us
salvation…and life. Solomon wrote in this Ecclesiastes passage that wisdom
saves our life.
Wisdom and money can get you almost
anything, but only wisdom can save your life. Ecclesiastes 7:12
Saves us from what? Death—eternal death.
Having our life “saved” is important only if we are afraid of death. How do you
feel about that? We are all going to die someday—that is our earthly bodies
will die, but our spiritual being will continue to live forever—and to live in
Heaven IF we allow wisdom to save us. That is, IF, in our Christian point of
view, we allow Jesus to save us from eternal damnation. I believe that He
can…that He has saved those who believe in Him as the Son of God. He said…Then He (Jesus) said to the crowd, "If
any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, 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."
Luke 9:23-24.
Furthermore,
for me taking up my cross daily means to put Jesus first…not myself. Not only
to give Him first place in my life…but to allow Him to come alongside of me and
carry my burdens, too. I can’t do it all…or do it my way. I must allow Him to help me. He told us that our burden is
light for Him.
Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who
are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give
you is light." Matthew
11:28-30
I must be
teachable…and not ashamed of Jesus in any way. Give Him glory and honor above
all.
Prayer
~ Lord Jesus, thank you for being willing to be sacrificed on a cross…and for
the obedience that You showed to Our Father. You are Wisdom. You are The Truth,
The Way and The Life. I look forward to seeing You face to face one day in
Heaven. For today…I take up my cross…and follow You. May all that I think, do
and say honor You.
Daily
Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 22-23; Psalm 57
© 2018 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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