ODJ Wednesday August 27, 2007

what are you carrying?

read> Luke 9:22-26:

22And He (Jesus) said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and He must killed and on the third day be raised to life."
23Then He said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels."

I love the word any in Luke 9:23. Jesus said, if any of you wants to be My follower..." That's one of the best things about Jesus' message- He'll take anyone. No resumes, applications, or tests. Just look at the kinds of people Jesus accepted: the mentally ill, the outcasts, the sexually promiscuous, people with different political beliefs, the old, the young, the blind- any and all who recognized their need for Him.

But once you're "in", Jesus asks something of you: "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). We each have a personal cross. Even your siblings, who lived in the same home with the same people and the same circumstances, probably saw things differently than you did. Tell people about your biggest temptation and they might wonder what's the big deal. Your fears are not mine. My weaknesses are not yours.

In New Testament times, people were forced to carry literal crosses for various crimes, and then were forced to die on them. People dying on crosses couldn't hide. They were hung in plain view for everyone to see. Crosses have a way of taking pride away. And that's good, because pride keeps you from Jesus.

As you carry your cross each day, remember: You're doing it because Jesus asks you to. He carried a cross for you. It wasn't forced on Him; He carried it willingly. He gave His life on that cross so you can live. He "endured the cross, disregarding its shame" (Hebrews 12:2).

Keep carrying your cross, and don't be ashamed as long as it keeps you following Jesus.

-Tracy Carbaugh

more>
John 12:25-26:

"25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whover serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me."

1 Corinthians 2:2:

2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

1 Peter 2:24:

24He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.

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What does your personal cross look like? How has God transformed your life through the cross?