Mark 8:34–38 (ESV) —
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
NOTE: This is hardly the call to be a follower, this is the call to discipleship from Jesus. His standard is much higher than that of John the Baptist or the Rabbis. Jesus calls us to sacrifice our will for his will. The question is not "what do I want to do?" but rather "what do you, Lord, want me to do?"
One obvious answer from the text is to speak freely of our faith. We cannot shrink back. We cannot be ashamed just because the world and its' so-called elites scoff at our beliefs. The 'elites' are heavily influenced by peer pressure from their queen bees. In order to be accepted and to get the good jobs and make the big bucks, the world tells us to follow their worldview. Being a Christian who stands firmly on the fact that Jesus is the only way to salvation will get harder and harder each year. The enemy is waging an all-out assault on truth where truth is becoming defined by what others think who are considered elites, not whether truth is true or not.
PONDER:
- How am I doing? When was the last time is held back from saying truth?
PRAYER: This seems like a broken record Lord, but I ask for courage and boldness to proclaim your truth. I also pray for my family members and the many concerns. You know what those are. I especially pray the new lives that are being formed right now.
No comments:
Post a Comment