Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 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. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?” (Luke 9:23-25 NLT)
People expected the Messiah to defeat the Romans and make Israel a free, independent, wealthy and powerful nation. Jesus said He would suffer, die and rise from the dead to set us free from sin and death.
Some people expect the Christian faith to make them happy and prosperous, to give them smooth sailing through life. Jesus tells us that following Him will not be easy. We have to take up own cross and follow Him. If we make the things of this world our gods, we will lose out. Following Jesus is a life of service, of forgiving, of loving, of trusting and depending on Him. Following Jesus is placing our lives in His hands with the faith that He knows what is best for us. His death and resurrection are the proof of that.
People expected the Messiah to defeat the Romans and make Israel a free, independent, wealthy and powerful nation. Jesus said He would suffer, die and rise from the dead to set us free from sin and death.
Some people expect the Christian faith to make them happy and prosperous, to give them smooth sailing through life. Jesus tells us that following Him will not be easy. We have to take up own cross and follow Him. If we make the things of this world our gods, we will lose out. Following Jesus is a life of service, of forgiving, of loving, of trusting and depending on Him. Following Jesus is placing our lives in His hands with the faith that He knows what is best for us. His death and resurrection are the proof of that.
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