“And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his [lower] life will lose it [the higher life], and whoever loses his [lower] life on My account will find it [the higher life].” Matthew 10:38-39 [AMPL] ->me: The content of these 2 verses is repeated in the New Testament 6 times. You have to remember that Jesus has not yet shared His coming death with the disciples. ‘Cross-bearing’ was a common site in Roman controlled Palestine so the disciples would have gotten the picture Jesus was trying to draw but little did they know how true it would become for them. Can I call myself a true disciple and follower of Jesus? Have I internalized the message in these 2 verses for myself? I believe that ‘cross-bearing’ and saying no to the flesh are the invitation one needs to Jesus. It will be how people respond to this that will separate them out when Jesus says those scary words at the judgement “away from Me, I never knew you”. When I look at how I live my life today, I have the full intention to pick up the cross and bear it; I believe in the hope that it leads to -> Life Eternal…but, I always seem to get distracted by work, life, family, and things. I wake up hours later only to realize I haven’t thought about the Lord at all since that morning. So, this week I spent time in the prayer closet asking (inviting) the Lord to fill my whole heart, to consume my whole mind. The Lord is answering that request by showing me that I need Him in this way. I could swear that not 15 minutes goes by that I am reminded of how broken I am; how little control I am able to muster on my own to live in a consistent upright way. Prayer is the key <-> the key is prayer.
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