Today, Selwyn looks at another ‘tough saying of Jesus (Luke 9:23-24): “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” This is perhaps one of the most difficult challenges a disciple can face for it involves self-denial, self-giving and self-effacement.’
Selwyn makes an important point: “Tragedies, accidents, sicknesses, misfortunes are not crosses in the sense in which the word is being used here.”
Taking up our cross and following Jesus each day – involves a choice – we can choose to follow Him OR we can choose to follow our own worldly desires, our own individual path. Jesus could have stayed in Galilee, healing sick people, driving out demons, and feeding the crowds with ‘loaves and fishes’; instead He choose to follow the road to Jerusalem, and to go to the cross which was waiting for Him. It’s the same for us – we can spend our life in the cosy villages of Galilee or take the hard road to Jerusalem – it’s our choice!
What do you think?
Cross-bearing
Today, Selwyn looks at another ‘tough saying of Jesus (Luke 9:23-24): “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” This is perhaps one of the most difficult challenges a disciple can face for it involves self-denial, self-giving and self-effacement.’
Selwyn makes an important point: “Tragedies, accidents, sicknesses, misfortunes are not crosses in the sense in which the word is being used here.”
Taking up our cross and following Jesus each day – involves a choice – we can choose to follow Him OR we can choose to follow our own worldly desires, our own individual path. Jesus could have stayed in Galilee, healing sick people, driving out demons, and feeding the crowds with ‘loaves and fishes’; instead He choose to follow the road to Jerusalem, and to go to the cross which was waiting for Him. It’s the same for us – we can spend our life in the cosy villages of Galilee or take the hard road to Jerusalem – it’s our choice!
What do you think?