A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves -Mother Teresa
Luke 14:27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow Me, you cannot be My disciple.Jesus went without food, money, shelter and lived the life of great sacrifice. His mission to redeem the world was not a glamorous one and for it to end on a cross was the ultimate of scorn and shame.
Carrying the cross is hard work, cross carriers were open to ridicule, they had nowhere to hide, everything was out in public. But then the life of a disciple isn’t to be hidden, it is all about being open for public viewing, discipleship isn't any good if it isn't seen.
Nobody is able to follow you if they can't see you and since you are out there for the world to see then you better be sure that your motives, desires and interest are aligned with what God has in mind. I have to be sure that what they see is what a cross carrier should look like.
Galatians 6:14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died.
Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.
I need to nail my worldly desires to the cross and make my interest be in alignment with the desires for the mission that God has created me for. I need to make the decision to pickup my cross each day and live a lifestyle that shows that my interest are lined up with God's desires. It is amazing to me that he wants to use everyday people like me and that he gives us the power to do his work.
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him (1 Timothy 1:12) Thank you Lord!
