As I remember the story there was an American soldier who was caught in an artillery barrage and jumped into a hole for shelter. Some other soldier had dug it out and as he went in head first, his hand touched something metal. He grabbed it and it was a silver colored metal cross. Tucked in the hole he stared at it when all of a sudden another body came crashing down on top of him. When they got untangled he realized that an army
chaplain had jumped in with him. He looked at the chaplain and held up the cross and said “Man, I’m glad you’re here. How do you work this thing?” That’s a pretty good question. Because Jesus said that whoever wanted to be his disciple, they would have to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow him. So what is Jesus telling us? If we are truly going to follow this Jesus of the Bible, we will need to line up our life completely with his example. But surrendering our lives to this Jesus is not a one-time decision. Relying on God has to begin all over every single day. This means that no longer do we give ourselves the right to rule our lives or the lives of others…but we submit to the God of the Bible. And then each day our taking up our cross will mean putting God’s will into action through serving others humbly, loving faithfully and standing for the truth respectfully and with dignity. So…what if you do this, what happens to you? You will lose the life you have…but you will gain the life you were meant to have and that your heart always knew you were missing. Taking up your cross isn’t easy and it is done every day. But it is the only path for winning in the game of life. Here’s our Bible verse for today…
Luke 9:23-24 NLT Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. (24) If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Remember I’m praying for you,
PJ
chaplain had jumped in with him. He looked at the chaplain and held up the cross and said “Man, I’m glad you’re here. How do you work this thing?” That’s a pretty good question. Because Jesus said that whoever wanted to be his disciple, they would have to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow him. So what is Jesus telling us? If we are truly going to follow this Jesus of the Bible, we will need to line up our life completely with his example. But surrendering our lives to this Jesus is not a one-time decision. Relying on God has to begin all over every single day. This means that no longer do we give ourselves the right to rule our lives or the lives of others…but we submit to the God of the Bible. And then each day our taking up our cross will mean putting God’s will into action through serving others humbly, loving faithfully and standing for the truth respectfully and with dignity. So…what if you do this, what happens to you? You will lose the life you have…but you will gain the life you were meant to have and that your heart always knew you were missing. Taking up your cross isn’t easy and it is done every day. But it is the only path for winning in the game of life. Here’s our Bible verse for today…
Luke 9:23-24 NLT Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. (24) If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Remember I’m praying for you,
PJ