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Luke 9:23 - Turning From Your Selfish Ways.Luke 9:23 (NLT) Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.INTRODUCTION There are at least three conditions that must be met by people who want to follow Jesus. We must be willing to deny self, to take up our crosses, and to follow him. Anything less is superficial lip service.... Jesus' disciples are not to use their lives on earth for their own pleasure - they should spend their lives serving God and people. [Life Application SB] COMMENTARY PEARL God has given us the power of choice; it is ours to exercise. We cannot change our hearts, we cannot control our thoughts, our impulses, our affections. We cannot make ourselves pure, fit for God's service. But we can choose to serve God, we can give Him our will; then He will work in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus our whole nature will be brought under the control of Christ. Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in the life. By yielding up the will to Christ, we ally ourselves with divine power. We receive strength from above to hold us steadfast. A pure and noble life, a life of victory over appetite and lust, is possible to everyone who will unite his weak, wavering human will to the omnipotent, unwavering will of God. MH176, 177 You need to drink daily at the fountain of truth, that you may understand the secret of pleasure and joy in the Lord. But you must remember that your will is the spring of all your actions. This will, that forms so important a factor in the character of man, was at the Fall given into the control of Satan; and he has ever since been working in man to will and to do of his own pleasure, but to the utter ruin and misery of man. But the infinite sacrifice of God in giving Jesus, His beloved Son, to become a sacrifice for sin, enables Him to say, without violating one principle of His government: "Yield yourself up to Me; give Me that will; take it from the control of Satan, and I will take possession of it; then I can work in you to will and to do of My good pleasure." When He gives you the mind of Christ, your will becomes as His will, and your character is transformed to be like Christ's character. Is it your purpose to do God's will? Do you wish to obey the Scriptures? "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." 5T515 COMMENTARY Lose Yourself The things that impressed me as a younger Christian still impress me, but now other things impress me even more. When I was a brand-new believer, I was very impressed by a powerful preacher or someone with a great musical gift that they used for God's glory. I was impressed by someone who consistently shared their faith and led people to Christ. I am still impressed by those things, of course. But there are other things that impress me today. What impresses me now is a husband and wife who stay faithful to each other for their entire marriage. I'm impressed by a Christian who weathers the storms of life and doesn't become angry at God but comes closer to Him instead. And I'm impressed by believers who simply live out their faith each day. Being a disciple and being a follower of Jesus is, to borrow a phrase from Nietzsche, "long obedience in the same direction." It is staying with it. Jesus said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me" (Luke 9:23 NLT). Notice that Jesus said you must take up your cross daily - not yearly, not annually, and not even monthly or weekly. It's as simple as reading your Bible when you get up in the morning. That is giving up your own way and taking up the cross daily. It means praying. It means speaking up for Jesus Christ, even when it's uncomfortable or a bit awkward. Essentially, it means putting God first and yourself second. Maybe you're thinking, "Well, that sounds kind of miserable to me." It's actually the opposite of that. It's living life as it was meant to be lived when you put Jesus first. That's because Jesus said, "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. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?" (Luke 9:24-25 NLT). Take up the cross - that is what we are called to do every day. And if we will do this, then we will find ourselves. Do you want to find yourself? Then lose yourself. Put God first. If you try to be a happy person, you never will be a happy person. Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy. Everyone wants to be happy. But if you live to be happy, you never will be. As philosopher Eric Hoffer pointed out, "The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness." Here's what it comes down to: If you want to be happy, then seek to be holy, and happiness will come as a by-product. Seek to be holy. Seek to be like Christ. But also live wholly for Christ. So, seek to be like Christ and live for Christ. You will be a happy person as a result. [By Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] Making a Commitment Although it has been more than three decades, I still remember clearly the day I was joined in marriage to my wife, Cathe. She walked down the aisle looking beautiful. I, on the other hand, resembled Jeremiah Johnson with my shoulder-length hair and big beard. I cringe when I look at the photos. But that day, I committed myself to Cathe, I said, "I take you to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part." I made a public commitment to her. And although I have already made that commitment, I make a recommitment every day to love Cathe and to be the husband that God wants me to be. I don't always do this perfectly. But I recognize that it is a continuing commitment. I have also committed myself to Jesus Christ, and every day I honor and affirm that commitment. One practical way I do this is simply by staying in fellowship with Him. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). By obeying God, listening to and heeding the "still, small voice" of His indwelling Holy Spirit, I remain in unbroken fellowship with Him. If you want to grow in Jesus Christ, it will take time - and lots of it. It will take a daily commitment for the rest of your life. But do you have anything better to do with the rest of your life than to follow Jesus and learn more about Him? That is the best thing you could possibly do with your life and future. Nothing is better than that. You could say the same thing hour by hour through your day. Nothing is better, no matter what your activities or responsibilities, than walking in the sweetness and radiance of His conscious presence. [Every Day with Jesus by Greg Laurie] Don't Settle for Cheap Substitutes When was the last time you heard someone actually talk about denying themselves? We hear so much today about gratifying ourselves, fulfilling ourselves, discovering ourselves, and esteeming ourselves. There's even a magazine called Self. But here's what Jesus says: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24 NKJV). Some people have a false concept of God and think that if they're really going to be Christians and take up the cross, they will never have fun again. They falsely believe they'll have a dull, miserable life of bondage to rules and regulations. But that isn't true. When we understand what it really means to follow Jesus, we'll find the greatest joy there is in life. We never will know greater passion or excitement than what we'll know in a relationship with God. Anything this world has to offer is nothing but a cheap substitute. There's no drug, no experience, or any other thing in this world that even comes close to what it means to be a real follower of Jesus and to discover what we were made for. So if you want to find life, it means that you come to God and say, "Here are my plans. I dedicate them to you, and I invite you to overrule them if you don't like the choices I've made. I want your will more than my own because I've discovered that your plans are better than my plans. Your purposes are better than my purposes." Do you believe that? If so, then dedicate your life to God. Take up the cross and follow Him. [By Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] The Sweetest Burden We seem to have lost the meaning of the cross today. It has become a mere religious symbol, an icon shrouded in religiosity. But in the first century when someone was carrying a cross through the streets, it meant only one thing: that person was going to die. So, when people heard Jesus say, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me," they would have easily understood what He meant. Sometimes we think of a cross to bear as a trying relationship, a health problem, a challenging job, or some other tough circumstance. Those may be difficulties in life. But they are not our crosses to bear. The cross we must bear is the same for each of us. It speaks of dying to ourselves. And what that means, simply, is laying ourselves at the feet of Jesus and saying, "I want Your will more than my own." Of course, when we talk about bearing the cross and living a crucified life, it sounds morbid and unappealing because we have a false concept of what it means. We think it means isolating ourselves in an ivory tower somewhere and never having fun, smiling, or laughing. That is how we imagine ourselves living the crucified life. But is that what it really means? Writing to the churches in Galatia, the apostle Paul said, "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20 NLT). As Jesus said, if you want to find your life, then lose it (see Luke 9:24). Thus, when we live the crucified life, it isn't a morbid, miserable experience. It doesn't mean that we've ruined our lives when we start walking with God. Rather, it's when life begins to really happen, when life becomes full and meaningful. Because we want God's will more than our own, we'll have the abundant life that Jesus promised, (see John 10:10). We're living life as it was meant to be lived. It is life to the fullest. Samuel Rutherford, a seventeenth-century theologian, said, "The cross of Christ is the sweetest burden that ever I bore. It is such a burden as wings are to a bird, or sails to a ship, to carry me forward to my desired haven." And he was right. The cross of Christ is no burden because God's will is better than our own. Are you bearing the cross and following Jesus? For some, this could mean suffering persecution. For others, it could mean a major change of lifestyle. It could cost us friends. But we will live life as it was meant to be lived: in the perfect will of God. So let's commit ourselves to being disciples of Jesus Christ - not mere fair-weather followers, but true disciples. [By Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] ILLUSTRATION I recently read an article about how common prenuptial agreements have become in recent years. Most are geared toward the protection of individual assets in the event of divorce. Marriage counselors often advise couples to avoid the word divorce during heated arguments, since it brings up the possibility, but prenuptial agreements introduce the idea even before the marriage occurs, reminding the couple there is a loophole in case one of them wants out. Jesus made it clear that following Him was not a temporary gig but an unbreakable covenant. He advises in Scripture to count the cost before choosing to follow Him (John 14:25-33). Jesus doesn't release me from my commitment to Him if I feel like the journey has gotten too inconvenient or demanding. He doesn't dismiss me from the relationship when I mess up. After Jesus's crucifixion, Peter and a few other disciples went fishing. Jesus called to them from the beach, using words familiar to Peter - "Follow Me!" Jesus wanted to reassure Peter of His acceptance and love, despite Peter denying that he knew Jesus during His trials (John 21:419). Jesus departed His heavenly home, then laid down His earthly life. He calls us to follow Him through our lives and then beyond, to join Him in eternity. I'm grateful there are no loopholes in His unbreakable covenant with those who accept Him as Savior. Dianne Neal Matthews Faith Step: If you're not familiar with the old hymn "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus," look up the words online or in a songbook. Sing or recite the lyrics as a prayer to honor Jesus. [Mornings With Jesus 2023 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] CLOSING THOUGHT If we are Christ's, our thoughts are with Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. All we have and are is consecrated to Him. Let's thank Jesus this month for all that He has done for us. Let us seek to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things. Pastor Arthur Gibbs LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Luke 9:23 - Taking Up Your Cross Daily. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230908-0919.html Luke 9:23 - FOLLOWING JESUS. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210410-0922.html Matthew 10:39 - Living for Jesus or for Self? http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200202-0944.html Mark 8:34 - Want To Follow Jesus? http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210611-1113.html Mark 8:35 - The Right Way to Find Happiness. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211210-0856.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |