Bible Studies
Matthew 16:24-26 – “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. what good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?”
Thesaurus Fun:
Deny – decline, renounce, reject, give up, abandon, forsake
Soul – essence, heart, core, character
Take up Your Cross
When a person was about to be crucified, he was forced to carry his own cross through the city streets and out to the place where he was to be crucified. This was done to shame the criminal and to demonstrate his subjection to Roman authority. What Christ asks from us is a little different, but much the same. When He says that we must deny ourselves take up our cross and follow Him (wherever that might be), He says this to humble us (not shame us) and to call us to demonstrate our submission (not subjection) to His authority and to do this openly (through the streets) as we follow Him, until the end of our life. More than this, we are to give up our life for Him in any way that He might use it. For if we hold on to our life, especially our life of sin, and thereby deny Christ as our Lord, we will certainly lose the possibility of real life finally in hell where we will be excluded from relationship with God forever. But if we surrender our life to Him and renounce our life of sin, openly confessing, submitting, and following Him, we will gain real life – loving relationship with Him forever.
What is the point in pursuing worldly gain? Whether it be wealth or power or fame? For all these things fade away and you cannot take them with you through the gates of death. It is our deeds and the moral character formed in us by our decisions that will be with us forever. Who you are becoming in this life is who you will be in the end. Those who pursue God and Christ likeness will finally reach their goal in His presence. Those who seek only to satisfy their selfish and sinful desires will find themselves overwhelmed by these unfulfilled desires in the end. For, “Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6)”, but, “the greedy are never satisfied. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)” what good would it do you to “gain the whole world” only to lose any lasting purpose in life finding instead only death. Not only are the treasures of this world temporary since, “moths and rust destroy…thieves break in and steal (Matthew 6:19)”, but if we could see the treasures of God, we would see how dingy and broken and corrupted our so called “treasure” really is. May we all learn to say with Paul, “I consider everything else as loss compared to the wonder of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. (Philippians 3:8)” Whatever hesitations you have about following Christ completely, whatever trials or persecutions you may face because of it, simply know that it is all worth it. For as frightful as persecution may seem and as difficult as total surrender can be, He has promised to be with us (Matthew 28:20) and He promises us an amazingly great reward. As Scripture says, “eye has not seen nor ear heard nor heart imagined what God has prepared for them that love Him.( 1 Corinthians 2:9)”
Point to Ponder
Are you ready to completely reject your sin-nature and all its desires, knowing that sin can only lead to death? What part of the sinful self do you need to deny? Are you ready to follow Him wherever He leads? Or are you frightened by the idea of hardship, persecution, and death? What would you (or have you) sell your soul for? Is it really worth the price required? Sin is like a credit card – you can get what you want right now seemingly “for free” but you still pay in the end and with intrest.
Let us pray, “O mighty God, maker of heaven and of earth – it is so amazing that You have set Your love on us! Thank You for rescuing us from sin and death and giving us purpose in this life. Thank You for all the amazing promises in Your word. You said that we must deny ourselves if we are to follow You and we must be willing to lose our lives for You. Lord, You know how difficult these things are for us, even if a part of us is willing. Therefore, we ask that You work this out in us. Make us so hungry for You, so desperate to be with You and to be like You that we can clearly see and know that You are worth anything we have to lose that we might gain You. Out of Your infinite grace and love and mercy, O God, and according to Your mighty power at work in us through the person of the Holy Spirit, help us to follow You alone whole heartedly, unreservedly, eternally, and to Your glory. We ask these things in the Name of the One who has called us to follow Him, who died and rose again to make it possible, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
See these songs: Starting Right Now, Who Will Save Me
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 912 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Dionne Stratton or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 912 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.