"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."
-- Jesus Christ (Luke 9:23-24)
These couple verses are loaded with the message all professing Believers should heartily agree with and live by. History testifies to countless men and women who lived out these verses. They did not cling to this world, but gave up everything in order to gain true life---eternal life. Their eyes were fixed upon the goal---the goal of spending eternity with their Lord Jesus Christ. Jim Elliot, a missionary martyr, once wrote in his journal, "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." Sad to say, Christians today do not understand how this can be true; and many of those who do affirm this statement do not live it out in their daily lives. Christ never intended to save people to a life of comfort and ease in this world; rather in the New Testament we witness Christ warning and preparing His disciples for hardships and pain on this earth. True Christianity is not a club people associate themselves with on the weekends or an insurance policy to protect them from hell; true Christianity is a daily battle as we surrender our lives and everything we hold dear in exchange for a heavy, splintery cross that will cost us everything.
As I examine my own life and witness other Christians as they go about their days, I am struck by the half-hearted lives we live. We pour our energy and time in pursuits that will all too soon vanish. We fritter our days away carelessly; unaware of how foolish it is to waste the time God has given us here on this earth. God has made us His ambassadors to beseech sinners to be reconciled to Him. The mission God has given us is to make much of Him in all we do---to step out of our comfort zones and live extreme lives for His name's sake. The attitude Christ had as He lived on the earth and went to the cross is the same attitude Believers should have exhibited in their own lives. Christ did not look to His own interests and desires, but sacrificed everything to redeem sinners. He accomplished His Father's will, though the cup was bitter beyond comprehension. We must follow in His steps. God has not given us two kinds of Christianity to chose between. Hebrews 13: 13-14 says: "So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come." Christians cannot settle for ease and comfort and expect to grow in their faith and make much of Christ with their lives. We must suffer as Christ suffered, we must lay our lives down as He laid His life down, and we must deny ourselves if we are to "gain that which we cannot lose" (Jim Elliot).
I forget so often that this world and all that I enjoy in it are but a poor taste---an elusive whisper of what heaven will truly be like. I look at eternity through sin tainted eyes. And then I am reminded that I have but one shot at this life; I cannot go back and start over. God has saved us Believers by His amazing grace, He has washed away the ugly stain of sin, and Christ bore the wrath of God that was ours to bear. Our lives should reflect this great love that God has lavished upon us. We should not sit back in our seats satisfied with the pleasures of this earth when God has so much more in store for us if we fully commit our lives to Christ. When we loosen our grip on this world our eyes will be opened to how empty its joys and pleasures are. Taste and see that the Lord is good, and when you taste you will not be able to return to the dull, dry pursuits that once held you captive. We were not created for this world, but for that which is to come. The reason why we Christians should and must take up our crosses and follow in Christ's footsteps down a road of suffering is because this world is not our home. Our citizenship is in heaven and we are but aliens in this world.
My challenge for Christians is something with which God has already challenged me. I see weaknesses and shortcomings in my own life. My heart is broken when I am confronted with my casual outlook on life. Often I live passionless for Christ, compassionless for others, and reluctant to walk in Christ's steps. I am sure that most Christians are in the same boat as me. Let us cease from from our half-hearted devotion and throw ourselves completely into the work of the Lord without reserves. Stop being mere onlookers and instead follow in Christ's steps on the road to Golgotha. Yes, it will bring pain, it will cost you everything in the terms of comfort in this life, and you will undergo trials and temptations, but Christ is more than worth it. Our reward is not at hand yet, we must wait until we reach heaven.
In each of us is the deep longing for something more...we are never completely satisfied. Do not waste your life running after ways to satisfy your heart with things that will leave you empty and craving more. Live for Christ---rest in Him and you will find happiness. True enough, the cross focused life is not an easy life nor is it free from pain, but it is a joyful one because it is anchored in the one who is the only sovereign joy who will satisfy our hearts' deepest longings. Let us now take up our crosses, and though we be forever marked by their pain and suffering, press on knowing that Christ has already gone before us and will bring us safely home at the appointed time. Let us truly live by dying to ourselves daily.
These couple verses are loaded with the message all professing Believers should heartily agree with and live by. History testifies to countless men and women who lived out these verses. They did not cling to this world, but gave up everything in order to gain true life---eternal life. Their eyes were fixed upon the goal---the goal of spending eternity with their Lord Jesus Christ. Jim Elliot, a missionary martyr, once wrote in his journal, "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose." Sad to say, Christians today do not understand how this can be true; and many of those who do affirm this statement do not live it out in their daily lives. Christ never intended to save people to a life of comfort and ease in this world; rather in the New Testament we witness Christ warning and preparing His disciples for hardships and pain on this earth. True Christianity is not a club people associate themselves with on the weekends or an insurance policy to protect them from hell; true Christianity is a daily battle as we surrender our lives and everything we hold dear in exchange for a heavy, splintery cross that will cost us everything.
As I examine my own life and witness other Christians as they go about their days, I am struck by the half-hearted lives we live. We pour our energy and time in pursuits that will all too soon vanish. We fritter our days away carelessly; unaware of how foolish it is to waste the time God has given us here on this earth. God has made us His ambassadors to beseech sinners to be reconciled to Him. The mission God has given us is to make much of Him in all we do---to step out of our comfort zones and live extreme lives for His name's sake. The attitude Christ had as He lived on the earth and went to the cross is the same attitude Believers should have exhibited in their own lives. Christ did not look to His own interests and desires, but sacrificed everything to redeem sinners. He accomplished His Father's will, though the cup was bitter beyond comprehension. We must follow in His steps. God has not given us two kinds of Christianity to chose between. Hebrews 13: 13-14 says: "So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come." Christians cannot settle for ease and comfort and expect to grow in their faith and make much of Christ with their lives. We must suffer as Christ suffered, we must lay our lives down as He laid His life down, and we must deny ourselves if we are to "gain that which we cannot lose" (Jim Elliot).
I forget so often that this world and all that I enjoy in it are but a poor taste---an elusive whisper of what heaven will truly be like. I look at eternity through sin tainted eyes. And then I am reminded that I have but one shot at this life; I cannot go back and start over. God has saved us Believers by His amazing grace, He has washed away the ugly stain of sin, and Christ bore the wrath of God that was ours to bear. Our lives should reflect this great love that God has lavished upon us. We should not sit back in our seats satisfied with the pleasures of this earth when God has so much more in store for us if we fully commit our lives to Christ. When we loosen our grip on this world our eyes will be opened to how empty its joys and pleasures are. Taste and see that the Lord is good, and when you taste you will not be able to return to the dull, dry pursuits that once held you captive. We were not created for this world, but for that which is to come. The reason why we Christians should and must take up our crosses and follow in Christ's footsteps down a road of suffering is because this world is not our home. Our citizenship is in heaven and we are but aliens in this world.
My challenge for Christians is something with which God has already challenged me. I see weaknesses and shortcomings in my own life. My heart is broken when I am confronted with my casual outlook on life. Often I live passionless for Christ, compassionless for others, and reluctant to walk in Christ's steps. I am sure that most Christians are in the same boat as me. Let us cease from from our half-hearted devotion and throw ourselves completely into the work of the Lord without reserves. Stop being mere onlookers and instead follow in Christ's steps on the road to Golgotha. Yes, it will bring pain, it will cost you everything in the terms of comfort in this life, and you will undergo trials and temptations, but Christ is more than worth it. Our reward is not at hand yet, we must wait until we reach heaven.
In each of us is the deep longing for something more...we are never completely satisfied. Do not waste your life running after ways to satisfy your heart with things that will leave you empty and craving more. Live for Christ---rest in Him and you will find happiness. True enough, the cross focused life is not an easy life nor is it free from pain, but it is a joyful one because it is anchored in the one who is the only sovereign joy who will satisfy our hearts' deepest longings. Let us now take up our crosses, and though we be forever marked by their pain and suffering, press on knowing that Christ has already gone before us and will bring us safely home at the appointed time. Let us truly live by dying to ourselves daily.
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