"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." (Mark 8:34)
Throughout the gospels Jesus gives a very clear command to all of His disciples and that is "Follow Me." As much as all of us want to follow Christ in theory, we find that in practice this is sometimes an extremely difficult thing to do. We all want a Messiah without rejection and suffering. We all want the promise without any of the pain. We all want the reward but don't want to pay the price. When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die (Bonhoeffer).
Christ had to be a suffering servant before he could become a conquering king. Jesus had to remind Peter of this in Mark 8:33. As Jesus was teaching His disciples how the Son of Man must suffer at the hands of men and be rejected and killed and will on the third day rise again, Peter rebuked him. Jesus then replied by saying, "Get behind me, Satan!" For Peter couldn't understand why Jesus should have to suffer. He wanted things to remain the way they were and to have Jesus continue to teach him as he had been doing. He did not want Jesus nor himself to have to pay a price for our freedom. Jesus explained to His disciples that he must bear the cross and be crucified in order to fulfill the will of His Father. His disciples had no idea how great a sacrifice their teacher was about to make for them.
As disciples of Christ, we are called to the cross as well. The cross is not merely a metaphor that we are to gently ponder in our minds. We are called by Jesus to take up our cross and to die daily as Paul did. We must take up our cross but not until we have put the old self under, not until the old man is dead. For if we did it through our old self then it would be our own strength that would have to bear our cross. We could never bear a cross without the help of God. Even Jesus had to have His flesh crucified before he could die and be raised again. For every great reward there is a cost. That cost will always involve obedience. Obedience is not something that is typically cost free. We must all sacrifice knowing in our hearts that Jesus already paid the ULTIMATE sacrifice for us. So today I make the choice to die to flesh and to take up my cross and follow Him!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Craving Intimacy
Days like these make it hard to breathe. Not because anything bad happened in my life, but because of the love and joy that is in my heart. I am so overwhelmed with emotion when I think about Jesus and what He did for me. I know a lot of people say that Jesus is there Savior and that they love Him, but to many the words they speak never make it past their minds to penetrate their hearts. Everyday that I live my goal is to become more and more like Christ. In order to get to know someone intimately, you must spend time with them. Even more so, we desire to be around those we are intimate with. We crave it with every fiber of our being. This is how we should feel about our personal relationship with Christ. God longs for intimacy with each and everyone of us. Not in some distant, liturgical, mass production kind of way, but in an extremely personal, unique and intimate way.
I find that the closer I get to God and the more time I spend with Him, the more I desire and crave His presence in my life. I have withdrawal when I feel cut off from Him in any way whether it be because of the world or because of my own disobedience. I am so grateful to know that my feeling that way does not effect God's level of intimacy with me at all. Even though I may feel distant from Him, He is never distant from me. Yes my sin separates me from Him but that is because of me, not Him. He is holy and therefore can not be in the presence of sin. I get to make decisions everyday to either draw near to Him in obedience, or to run away in disobedience. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8) Below are some scriptures were God reveals His will for us to be intimate with Him.
God who as called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9)
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends... (John 15:15)
Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:1-3)
"You are my witnesses", declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he... (Isaiah 43:10)
God wants to know each and every one of us on an intimate level. He calls us friend. How awesome is that? The Creator of the universe calls us friend! That alone is enough to make my heart overflow with joy. Let us take time to get to know Him more, so that our hearts will long for Him the way He lovingly longs for us.
I find that the closer I get to God and the more time I spend with Him, the more I desire and crave His presence in my life. I have withdrawal when I feel cut off from Him in any way whether it be because of the world or because of my own disobedience. I am so grateful to know that my feeling that way does not effect God's level of intimacy with me at all. Even though I may feel distant from Him, He is never distant from me. Yes my sin separates me from Him but that is because of me, not Him. He is holy and therefore can not be in the presence of sin. I get to make decisions everyday to either draw near to Him in obedience, or to run away in disobedience. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8) Below are some scriptures were God reveals His will for us to be intimate with Him.
God who as called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9)
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends... (John 15:15)
Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:1-3)
"You are my witnesses", declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he... (Isaiah 43:10)
God wants to know each and every one of us on an intimate level. He calls us friend. How awesome is that? The Creator of the universe calls us friend! That alone is enough to make my heart overflow with joy. Let us take time to get to know Him more, so that our hearts will long for Him the way He lovingly longs for us.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
We must stand in the gap
I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 22:30-31).
The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him and his own righteousness sustained him (Isaiah 59:16).
The Bible is filled with examples of God searching for those willing to fight the spiritual battle for their land. The Lord is earnestly seeking those who are obedient and are willing to stand in the gap and intercede on the behalf of others. He doesn't care who it is that stands in the gap, just that somebody does. It is our job as Christians to intercede for others just as Christ intercedes for us. I know this sounds like a difficult task, and many feel that they are not equipped to do such a thing, but we know that God has equipped His saints for ministry and He always prepares us to do the work He has set out for us to do. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will(Romans 8:26-34).
Just as God spoke the following words to Solomon, he was also speaking them to us, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from my wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:2 to Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.) He also says the following in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone- for kings, and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all goodness and holiness. This is good and please God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
It is our job to intercede and stand in the gap. The Bible reminds us that Jesus is constantly interceding for us, Now there have been many of those priests , since death prevented them from continuing in office, but because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them (Hebrews 7:23-25) Who is He that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (Romans 8:34). If we are to be Christ like, we must follow His example and intercede for others in need.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). So let us be obedient to God and please Him; Let us stand in the gap today!
The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him and his own righteousness sustained him (Isaiah 59:16).
The Bible is filled with examples of God searching for those willing to fight the spiritual battle for their land. The Lord is earnestly seeking those who are obedient and are willing to stand in the gap and intercede on the behalf of others. He doesn't care who it is that stands in the gap, just that somebody does. It is our job as Christians to intercede for others just as Christ intercedes for us. I know this sounds like a difficult task, and many feel that they are not equipped to do such a thing, but we know that God has equipped His saints for ministry and He always prepares us to do the work He has set out for us to do. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will(Romans 8:26-34).
Just as God spoke the following words to Solomon, he was also speaking them to us, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from my wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:2 to Carry each others burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.) He also says the following in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone- for kings, and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all goodness and holiness. This is good and please God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
It is our job to intercede and stand in the gap. The Bible reminds us that Jesus is constantly interceding for us, Now there have been many of those priests , since death prevented them from continuing in office, but because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them (Hebrews 7:23-25) Who is He that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (Romans 8:34). If we are to be Christ like, we must follow His example and intercede for others in need.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). So let us be obedient to God and please Him; Let us stand in the gap today!
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