follow
“And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:27 NIV
True discipleship is to passionately pursue Jesus above everything else.
Jesus paid an incalculable price for our salvation. Though tempting to take the world’s high road over the Lord’s low road, one must come to realize where redemption requires us to believe in the person and work of Jesus Christ, it is only the starting point. Carrying our cross is a daily identification with Christ’s suffering, embracing the tension of joy and grief, flesh and spirit, compassion and conviction—sacrificing our own interests in favor of serving Christ.
There are times when we look to our own hearts and minds and think it’s what God wants, but affirming Jesus is Lord is meaningless when not backed by obedience and submission to the Holy Spirit.
Paul notes in Galatians 2, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave himself for me” (Ga 2:20).
Everything we will ever look for in life is found in Jesus. Be encouraged to remain faithful in your commitment to Him, even when the mission generates conflict. We are hard pressed, but never defeated; called to live in the world but not attached to it (2 Cor 4:7-10).
How do we cope? During our quiet time, we dig down deep into our human depravity, we see the radical goodness of grace and take in the fullness of joy—the joy of the Lord will be our strength (Ne 8:10).
Walk in strength as the salt of the earth! Untie yourself from unfruitful distractions and live the life Jesus is calling you to live. Our goal is not to eradicate the world of its problems, only God can do that. Our goal is to lead faithful lives of love, service, justice and peace, demonstrating the hope and confidence we have in our Savior (1 Pe 3:15) .
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-11)
centering prayer
Jesus, I give you a single mind, take every moment of my life. amen.
