Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
Matthew 10:38-39 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow Me, you are not worthy of being Mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it.
Jesus called everyone of his disciples selfish, at the same time I am pretty sure that he called me selfish too, it is something that we are all good at.
When he carried his cross to the place of execution Jesus showed us what it looks like to be completely selfless, the burden of the weight, the disgrace and torture, he put aside what was easy and convenient to do what was necessary to help me.
"I have to carry my cross" is a Christian catch phrase that probably gets over used, but do we realize what we are comparing our suffering to? Do we fully understand that Jesus suffered greatly for us and that we are supposed to give up our lives for him? How much burden do most of us really ever carry?
I need to always be aware of the price that was paid for me to have a relationship with God. He died for me, I should live for him, not for selfish worldly gain.
Thank you Lord for giving me a chance to have a relationship with you, help me to give up my idea of what life is all about and live for you.
