If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
If you want 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?
If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels." [Luke 9.23-26]
To follow Jesus, sooner or later we must submit our wants and desires to his desires for us. We most stop serving ourselves and starting serving him.
It means the end of what we want and the beginning of what Jesus wants.
If it means stopping a certain behavior, we stop it.
If it means doing something we don't want to do, we do it.
That is why Jesus says "If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it". Because only by giving it up to Jesus you can gain eternal life.
Is it worth it?
If you have any doubts, Jesus makes a good case for doing so: "What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost and destroyed?"
Sure, there's a price to be paid for following Jesus, but those who pay it also receive an eternal benefit.
What can we do to be more like Christ?
#From The One Year Through the Bible by Dave Veerman #
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário