TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
In Luke 9:22 Christ said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."
In the very next verse: Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
This is the #1 verse, if people were honest, that causes most of them to quit being Christians, or at the very least, try to compromise their way into heaven. Why? Because they are not willing to go all out for Christ. They do not accept or believe that to be the sister or brother of Christ they too must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and anyone of authority, or with whom they have a relationship, and must be willing to die to self or be killed and doing so in total submission, that one day, after delayed gratification, they will be raised to a life eternal, but that may take a lifetime, which they are not willing to sacrifice.
In Luke 9:23 we are told we MUST, at every moment of every day, be willing to honestly give up our family, friends, health, career, pleasures, plans, parties, holidays, worldly and man-made traditions, and goals, die to self, if you have desires, habits, loves that are counter to the word of God or are held more dearly, bite the bullet, turn over a new leaf, suck it up, suffer, expect to be opposed, relinquish your pleasures and rewards, take up your cross, bear the pain, be willing to sacrifice self, accept the suffering, humiliation, ill-treatment, give it all up, in your love for Christ, and follow this command too, because in this you will learn to live like Christ, and as an over-comer you will be able to follow Him. We our to find our joy and peace in Him, not elsewhere. We are to be His devoted bride, with lamps trimmed, filled with oil, and eagerly awaiting His arrival.
Now go back and just read those 3 sections that are in bold, as if they were one sentence.
Can you commit to do so... 100%... beginning now, this very moment?
In the very next verse: Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
This is the #1 verse, if people were honest, that causes most of them to quit being Christians, or at the very least, try to compromise their way into heaven. Why? Because they are not willing to go all out for Christ. They do not accept or believe that to be the sister or brother of Christ they too must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and anyone of authority, or with whom they have a relationship, and must be willing to die to self or be killed and doing so in total submission, that one day, after delayed gratification, they will be raised to a life eternal, but that may take a lifetime, which they are not willing to sacrifice.
In Luke 9:23 we are told we MUST, at every moment of every day, be willing to honestly give up our family, friends, health, career, pleasures, plans, parties, holidays, worldly and man-made traditions, and goals, die to self, if you have desires, habits, loves that are counter to the word of God or are held more dearly, bite the bullet, turn over a new leaf, suck it up, suffer, expect to be opposed, relinquish your pleasures and rewards, take up your cross, bear the pain, be willing to sacrifice self, accept the suffering, humiliation, ill-treatment, give it all up, in your love for Christ, and follow this command too, because in this you will learn to live like Christ, and as an over-comer you will be able to follow Him. We our to find our joy and peace in Him, not elsewhere. We are to be His devoted bride, with lamps trimmed, filled with oil, and eagerly awaiting His arrival.
Now go back and just read those 3 sections that are in bold, as if they were one sentence.
Can you commit to do so... 100%... beginning now, this very moment?
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