Tuesday, April 21, 2015
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. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”—Luke 9:23–24
Some may think the Christian life is restrictive, but actually it is the very opposite. Out there in the world where there are no restrictions, people will start reaping the consequences of their foolish actions. But those who are following Christ will find life at its fullest. Yes, there are boundaries and parameters, but they are there for our own protection.
Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).
Nowadays we don’t fully grasp the idea of taking up a cross. But people living in the first century did. The sight of someone carrying a cross down the street in Jerusalem meant that person was about to die. So when Jesus said, “Let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,” people got it. Jesus was saying that if we want to follow Him, then we must die to our own desires and put God’s will above our own.
Jesus also said, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9: 24). We have to lose our lives to find them.
People today like to say, “I need to find myself.” But Jesus said that if you want to find life, purpose, and happiness, then you need to lose yourself. You come to God and say, “Here is my life. Here are my plans. Here are my dreams. Here are my hopes. Here are my aspirations. I present them to You. I want Your will more than my own.”
If you really want to find life, then lose your life. If you want to get a life, then present it to the Lord, and watch what He will do.
Radio Program: “So What? — III”
TV Program: “Your Past, Present, and Future”
Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 24, Psalm 57-58, 1 Chronicles 8, Matthew 8
Donate to Harvest
Used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie, PO Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514.
