Luke 9 :23-26
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
In this scripture Jesus was talking with his disciples. What he was saying is that to be his disciple there will be suffering in following him, it won’t be easy, it will have its challenges. You must not have selfish desires it must be about putting Christ at the center, even if it is uncomfortable. Back in the day it was sometimes actually death for following Christ for us today it means for us to live for his purpose, total submission, letting go and letting God.
Think back to the biblical days and think of Peter. Peter never dreamed he would deny Jesus, but yet he did. I am sure Judas never thought he would tip off who Jesus was to the Romans for 30 pieces of silver, but yet he did.
I just watched the House of David- wow. I think King Saul never thought it would turn out the way it did, and his kingdom turn from God, but yet he did.
We can read so many stories in the bible that we can say nope they were conforming not to God but to the world. We can even look around today at ourselves and see when we have conformed to the world and not remember to put Christ in the center.
I love what is stated on page 153 in our lent book Jesus the Stranger by Kenneth Collins about denying Jesus. It reads:
My friends and I talk about this all the time. If Jesus were to come back and we were in the situation that the disciples were in, would we deny Jesus like so many did? We question and go through many situations and circumstances and land with the same answer. WE pray that we would not deny Jesus. We pray that if we were in that situation like the disciples were someone wouldn’t be able to say like we can say about them- BUT YET THEY DID.
Our world today is in such confusion and chaos many decide to be conformed to the ways of the world. On page 154 it says just that-
So, think about it- are you silent, are you tactful, do you not want to disturb someone, do you conform, or do you pick up your cross and put Christ at the center?
Just something to ponder on this week as we get close to Palm Sunday.
So, this week, remember these things to receive JOY and to not conform to the world:
1. **Show up for JESUS** – Start your day in the Word.
2. **Show up for OTHERS** – Serve others, whether they are like you or not, whether they annoy you or you don’t understand them. That is what Jesus did; He showed up for EVERYONE.
3. **Show up for YOU**—You need to fill your cup before you can help fill others’ cups.
We will find JOY when we show up for Jesus, others, and ourselves.
As Father Mike says you pray for me I will pray for you and say an extra prayer for one of Katies friends Katie for complete healing.
Have a great week, Love to ALL! Cupcake
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