Then Jesus said to his
disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25 (NIV)
Writing is a pleasure for me. Today while praying, asking
God for inspiration and guidance to refine the outline of a book, I heard in my
spirit, “Go beyond.”
Go beyond what? Go beyond my initial meeting with Jesus.
When I recognized who Jesus is and made Him my Lord, I didn’t immediately die
and go to heaven as promised. Jesus has things for me to be and do before then—to become His disciple
in this world. In Jesus’ days on earth, the custom was for a young man who
would be a disciple, talmid, of a
Rabbi to literally follow him everywhere he went, observing him and seeking to
become like him.
While it is certainly true that God in Christ called each of
us to repent and come to Him for forgiveness of our sins, He also invites us to
follow Him on into life. We are invited to not only go to meet Him, but
continue beyond with Him. It is there that Jesus blesses us to be a
blessing to others. And we bless them by many means, including passing on that
divine invitation.
Oh yes, there is a cross involved. But going beyond my
meeting with Jesus with my hand in His—that
only adds to the excitement of life. Jesus’ cross served Him well in pleasing
his Father, so I can be confident my cross will have the same result.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, by Your
grace I will follow You faithfully.
©
2018 Parker Wayland
2 comments:
What a beautiful concept, Parker. I have tried to do that too—follow Jesus wherever He leads me. I try to stay strong in His Word. I'm so blessed to have you and the others in our Group to help me be strong and vigilant in God's Word. God bless you, dear friend. I am blessed to know you.
Evelyn
Thank you, Parker. It's good to remember there is a purpose for the "crosses" we are called to bear. Given back into God's hand, His will is done.
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