“Then He said to them all:
‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves
and take up their cross daily and follow Me.
For whoever wants to save their life will lose it,
but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.’”
Luke 16:24-25
Jesus never sugar-coated His Message. He did not make it palatable to his listeners. No
“sales” training, apparently. Jesus’ Message to the world . . . and to us . . . was not attractive in human terms.
“Deny yourself.” No more being your own #1 Priority. What you want now takes a
back-seat to what God wants for you and the greater Good of all those whose lives you touch.
“Take up your cross daily.” Picking up a heavy, cumbersome, sliver-giving beam of
wood would likely be impossible for most of us. Dragging it would not be much easier. A cross is not something anyone would wish for or want. EVER. DAILY. A cross was an instrument of “living death”.
Slow death. Unimaginable pain…torture. And it is personal…it’s for you. Your cross.
What kind of selling point is that for you?
“Follow Me.” The paths He walked were often not the preferred paths for the general
population of Jesus’ day. He trekked to the Desert….harsh, hot, no water, no mercy from heat and blinding sun.
Death dogging one’s footsteps. He went to “untouchables” who were forbidden to be near normal healthy people. They had to shout to anyone coming near that they were a danger to all people. How humiliating was that! Jesus often walked through Samaria with His team….a place with a religion that the Jewish people found detestable. There was tension, danger, and being “defiled” just by walking through that hostile region. A dunking
in the mikveh would certainly be in order…maybe several dunkings.
“Follow Me” was not an easy decision. Yes, there were the “pleasant pastures” . . . the beautiful Sea of Galilee . . . exciting, vibrant Jerusalem. . . . pleasant spaces of nature where it was quiet, peaceful, and beautiful. But Jesus did not stay for long stretches of time in those spaces. He was often on the move…by foot. “Homeless”….at the mercy of strangers for food, shelter and water. No weekly paycheck. No “home” to lay His head . . . just borrowed spaces along His Journey.
Anyone hoping for a sense of prestige by following Him would be sorely disappointed. It was going to be a difficult Path to follow Him…with only momentary times of celebrating Him. It would mean “losing your own life” for the sake of sharing His.
Following Jesus has a cost. At times, it can seem impossible . . . unbearable. Not to be
entered into lightly.
In my own life….now mostly looking back over more years than I want to put into print! …my
journey with Him…since the age of 3…has had many, many, beautiful and sweet seasons. But it has also often been threaded with pain, loss, betrayal, and trauma…often directly related to active service and sacrifice in following Him. I look forward to Heaven…being with Him there….and I know that seeing His Face and hearing His Voice will make all of it just a dim memory.
But what I cherish most…above all else, is that I will be in His Presence forever. The time on
Earth will fade, I am sure. The only thing that will matter is being with Him…forever.
desertspring.blog 