' Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].'
Matthew 16:24 Amplified Bible Classic
Jesus is our Lord and our King. He humbled Himself by leaving His position at the right hand of the Father and came to Earth to save the lost. He gave up all comfort, and He willingly went to the cross for us. He is our shepherd, and He is our example in all things.
I've been contemplating what it looks like to be an obedient servant of God, and I've been trying to think of examples from scripture —stories about specific people who lived out obedience to God in their lives. There is Abraham, Noah, Moses, and, of course, there is Jesus. Jesus is our supreme example of obedience. He did perfectly everything that the Father asked of Him, and He has been rewarded and highly exalted because of what He did.
We therefore do well to look to Him and seek to learn from His life and example. His words in the passage in view here are instructive, and what He tells us is critical if we really want to live. If you are alive, you have been given that life from above. Our life here is fleeting, as we should all understand, and our days are only a breath in the grand scheme of things. What we think is essential is very subjective, and what our culture says and values are often not the same (if ever) by way of comparison to what is held dear to our Father in heaven.
I say these things because it's hard to give up our own interests and what we think we need. Everyone wants the good life, I guess. It does not matter where you live or what kind of person you are; what we all share in common is the hope for a life that is full and blessed. Jesus said that He came to give us life in abundance, and so He did. Too often, I think we are striving after wind in our pursuit of what we believe an 'abundant life' actually is.
But He teaches us a profound truth in this passage, and we really need to understand this idea of total surrender. It is not something that comes naturally to us. No one really wants to yield to Him in this way; it's a very unnatural response. But it is an act of worship when we do. There is a great reward waiting for those who make that decision and then put it into practice. Following the Lord, according to Jesus, is a story that begins and ends with surrender. Casting away and aside everything, and placing our gaze doggedly upon the cross without wavering. Ignoring the taunts of those who are dying, and trusting in Him who gives life, and pressing on to make it our own, and forgetting what we may perceive we are leaving behind.
' But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.'
Matthew 6:33 Amplified Bible Classic
Here is the promise. We are not really losing much; instead, we are gaining everything. Even though we may not get some of the things we want in the final analysis, through the lifestyle of surrender, we can be sure that we will get every single thing we actually need.. Our God is faithful. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He will not fail us. This is why we trust Him, and this is why we must Surrender!
Matthew 16:24 Amplified Bible Classic
Jesus is our Lord and our King. He humbled Himself by leaving His position at the right hand of the Father and came to Earth to save the lost. He gave up all comfort, and He willingly went to the cross for us. He is our shepherd, and He is our example in all things.
I've been contemplating what it looks like to be an obedient servant of God, and I've been trying to think of examples from scripture —stories about specific people who lived out obedience to God in their lives. There is Abraham, Noah, Moses, and, of course, there is Jesus. Jesus is our supreme example of obedience. He did perfectly everything that the Father asked of Him, and He has been rewarded and highly exalted because of what He did.
We therefore do well to look to Him and seek to learn from His life and example. His words in the passage in view here are instructive, and what He tells us is critical if we really want to live. If you are alive, you have been given that life from above. Our life here is fleeting, as we should all understand, and our days are only a breath in the grand scheme of things. What we think is essential is very subjective, and what our culture says and values are often not the same (if ever) by way of comparison to what is held dear to our Father in heaven.
I say these things because it's hard to give up our own interests and what we think we need. Everyone wants the good life, I guess. It does not matter where you live or what kind of person you are; what we all share in common is the hope for a life that is full and blessed. Jesus said that He came to give us life in abundance, and so He did. Too often, I think we are striving after wind in our pursuit of what we believe an 'abundant life' actually is.
But He teaches us a profound truth in this passage, and we really need to understand this idea of total surrender. It is not something that comes naturally to us. No one really wants to yield to Him in this way; it's a very unnatural response. But it is an act of worship when we do. There is a great reward waiting for those who make that decision and then put it into practice. Following the Lord, according to Jesus, is a story that begins and ends with surrender. Casting away and aside everything, and placing our gaze doggedly upon the cross without wavering. Ignoring the taunts of those who are dying, and trusting in Him who gives life, and pressing on to make it our own, and forgetting what we may perceive we are leaving behind.
' But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.'
Matthew 6:33 Amplified Bible Classic
Here is the promise. We are not really losing much; instead, we are gaining everything. Even though we may not get some of the things we want in the final analysis, through the lifestyle of surrender, we can be sure that we will get every single thing we actually need.. Our God is faithful. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He will not fail us. This is why we trust Him, and this is why we must Surrender!
