Happy Wednesday!
I must share with you the Scripture for today. It is Luke 9:23-24. The ninth chapter of Luke has several subsections. Jesus is with the twelve disciples. I will zero in on Take Up the Cross and Follow Him.
Luke 9:23-24 – “23)Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24)For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.””
Who is the Scripture speaking to? The Scripture is speaking to the crowd gathered because Jesus had fed the 5000 and to the 12 disciples. What is the Scripture saying to me? It says to me if I want to follow Jesus, I must give up my own way of doing things. Is this applicable to me? Yes, I believe it is.
What does taking up the cross look like? It’s crucifying the flesh, our sinful nature. Self-denial is taking up the cross. It is repentance, nailing our willful and disobedient self to the cross. The old life of selfishness – it’s all about me – must be nailed to the cross. It is painful. It is hard to see ourselves this way. Sinful pleasure and living for Jesus are at opposite ends of the spectrum. He died on the cross so we wouldn’t stay that way. Your choice must be decisive and intentional.
Though sobering, I wanted to share my heart today.
Be blessed.
Sandra R Vercellono