Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24 HCSB
Why did Jesus say these words? The words that followed were these:
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?
Matthew 16:25-26
A lot has happened in this chapter in Matthew. Peter has just rebuked Jesus for saying He was going to die on the cross and in turned received a harsh rebuke as Jesus addresses the spirit behind what Peter was saying. Jesus then goes on to teach His disciples that they were not there to accumulate for themselves and establish a 'good' life but to lay down their lives for the sake of the gospel.
We can learn from this. We are not on this world to make the most money or have the most illustrious career but to effect the kingdom of God in the way God would have us do it. Yes He might want us as a successful movie star or a rich businessman, but He may just want us to serve Him as a cashier or a garbage collector. He is Lord after all.
Whatever the road, we must take up our cross (the difficult and painful) and follow Him giving our all to Him. Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment