Aug. 15, 2011
Mark 8:34
"When He had called the people to himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, 'Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.'''
"Deny himself": these are the words that call out the loudest for me in this Scripture. In order for one to follow Jesus, He clearly states that this is what they must do. The rest will follow. As one puts aside their own selfish wants, desires, or "needs" and takes after Christ, longing to know His heart, and do as He commands, will find Him. In doing this act of faith, one will be bearing what they need in order to be a follower of Christ. If Christ really is one's desire, than they shouldn't hesitate to do as He calls them to do. I wish I had known to deny myself. This would have made my act to follow Christ passionate from the start. I would have been able to seek Him for myself, and find Him, instead of wandering aimlessly, picking up fragments of His teachings instead. If I had taken up my cross, and sought anxiously for Him I would have inherited the passion for the word, and the zeal for the life of living after Christ sooner.
I need to continue to be in the word, and applying it to my life daily. I want to know more of Christ, following after Him, no more of me, and have it be all about Him. I want to deny myself completely in this life, if only to glorify my Father, who gave me His son, so that this could be so.
That one part of the verse really stuck out to me as well. And when I say that it stuck out, I mean that it made my flesh cry out a stubborn "NO" ha ha. But it's good to keep our eyes set forward and keep running with perseverance!
ReplyDeleteAmen, girl, amen. Stubborn flesh.. But luckily He gives us the strength to continue to fight and instead, live for Him!
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