Yesterday I talked about what the cost of taking up your cross and follow Him. Matthew 16:24 says, Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.
I wanted to expand some things that I talked about yesterday. What does it look like to be hated in this day and age? not entirely sure what that looks like, but I think it is like this that they want nothing to do with us and call us racists, haters, and are bigots They will hate you because you love them and pray for them. They will hate you for everything you do because they do not believe and know that God is sitting in heaven and care for them. Not even his own Disciple's knew who he was. Jesus *said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? so if they had doubts then it's understandable that they will hate us for saying we know God. Most people hate because they do not understand.
The second thing I to expand on is the giving up everything to pick up your cross and follow Him. what does that look like in today's world? should we go and sell all that we have and live off the land. You can if you feel lead by God, but I don't think that is what He means in today's world. what I think he means for today is to give up everything that need to prune from your life that is evil or stuff you need to get out of the way to worship Jesus. John 15:2 says, Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. What do you need to cut out to have a clear path to Jesus and to pick up your cross and follow Him? it could music that you listen to, the tv shows you watch, the friends you have, you morning habits or nightly habits. it could be anything that cause you not pick up your cross and follow him. so cut out the things that need pruning today.
Tomorrow I will talk giving up your past to pick up your cross and follow Him. something I think is important that I overlooked so I am going back to cover this important part of this series I haven't covered yet.
and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. Colossians 1:20
All verse taken from the NASB
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