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Luke 9:23 - MORE OF JESUS.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 More Of Jesus How can you ensure that your life will count, both now and for eternity? It may just begin with a simple prayer similar to this: Jesus, I want my life, my words, my actions, my thoughts, and all I hold dear to reflect Your glory today. Help me to take up my cross and follow You. I'm less interested in people seeing me and desire far more that people will see You in me. Scripture says that you are prized by the God of all creation, more valuable to Him and more deeply loved by Him than you can fully know. As such, you can have a relationship with and know the One who has breathed out the stars. Who is faithful and true. Whose power knows no end. Whose voice brings forth the morning. He is what makes your life count for now and eternity. In the end, taking up your cross is simply less of you and more of Jesus. Less trying. Less striving. Less strutting. More trusting. More surrender. More of His power, doing in and through you what only He can do. Dear God, I want to decrease so that You may increase in my life in every way. I deny myself and take up my cross for Your glory! [Grace and Glory by Louie Giglio] COMMENTARY 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. MH 176, 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." 5T 515 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 - Turning From Your Selfish Ways. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240906-1254.html 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 John 3:30 - Jesus Must Increase and I Must Decrease. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2025/20250426-1335.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |