God promises that you will work out your salvation

This week’s promise: God promises that you will work out your salvation

Philippians 3:17-4:1 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!

Yesterday we looked at some of the basics of working out our salvation. Today we’ll look at how Paul ended this particular portion of advice to us. Remember, he had just told them that if they didn’t agree with him that God would make it clear to them, so he was quite sure of what he was saying. Of course today, knowing that this is part of God’s Word, we know that what he said is being said with the full authority of Christ behind it. He then finished by telling them to at least live up to what they had already attained.

Today’s portion begins with Paul saying that they should follow his example, as well as the example of the others who live according to the pattern of pursuing Christlikeness he has just given them. The next sentence comes as a bit of surprise, because Paul now tells us that the reason he wants us to live this way is because there are so many false teachers! Even back then this was a problem! We know that during our time this problem is even worse though simply because Jesus Himself told us it would constantly get worse until He comes to get us. Are you wondering if I’ve jumped to a conclusion thinking that these are false teachers? I wondered that myself so I had to do a little research. Paul talks about these same people here:

Romans 16:17-18 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

This verse alone makes it clear that they were masquerading as Christians. If they weren’t pretending to be Christians, then Paul would not have had to go to the trouble of warning us about them. Now Paul gives us some of the characteristics of a false teacher. He says first that their God is their belly, meaning they care more for their sensual appetites then for God. Second their glory is in their shame, meaning that they not only sinned but boasted about it when they did! Instead of being legalists like the judaizers, they went in the opposite direction and took their freedom in Christ to be a license to sin. Third, their minds are on earthly things, which is the exact opposite of what Christ commands us to do. Jesus has told us to set our hearts and minds on the things of heaven. Instead of having the mind of Christ, they thought like the world does. They had a secular worldview rather then a biblical worldview. We see a lot of that today! These people call themselves Christians, but the fruit of their lives condemns them and shows them for what they really are. Although they pretend to be religious, they really deny the cross, love the world and live after the flesh.

We can know for sure these people are not our brothers and sisters in Christ who have simply taken a wrong turn because Paul says that their destiny is destruction. All true Christians will live forever with the Lord, so these people are not backslidden Christians. As Paul says when he continues, our citizenship is in heaven, and we are eagerly waiting for Jesus to return for us. These other people are the total opposite. Oh they may say the same thing, but their lives don’t show it.

Obviously if we can tell a false teacher by the way they live their lives, we can also tell a true Christian by the way they live their lives. This is what Paul was talking about earlier. Our lives should be characterized by the things we discussed yesterday. We should be constantly pressing on towards our goal of being more like Jesus. When we do that, we will be doing the things that Paul discussed and our lives will show the fruit of that.

Galatians 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

When we look at the verse from Galatians which I’m sure we’re all familiar with, the one thing that often gets us confused is where it says that those who belong to Christ have crucified the sinful nature. Often people think that means that we don’t sin, and we know that’s not true. What it actually means though is that those who belong to Christ, deny themselves. It’s not that we’re not tempted, it’s that when we are tempted we respond by denying ourselves which is crucifying the sinful nature—putting it to death. We don’t do that once, we do that constantly, over and over and over, every single day. That’s why the next line says, “since we live by the spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit.”. He is encouraging us to continue to deny ourselves, to continue to crucify that sinful nature each time it rears it’s ugly head. The fruit of the spirit that Paul lists is what we exhibit in our lives when we are constantly pursuing the goal of being more like Christ. Let’s close today’s study with Paul’s words of encouragement:

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!

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God promises that you will work out your salvation

This week’s promise: God promises that you will work out your salvation

Philippians 3:10-16 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Paul makes several important points in the above passage that are helpful to us who are working out our salvation. I have posted a little “extra” here simply so we’ll be reading it in context. He starts out saying what all who are saved feel that he wants to really know Jesus closely and personally, through experience and not just “head knowledge”. He wants to know the power of His resurrection, which now dwells in us, sharing in His suffering and becoming more and more like Him in all ways. The text reads “becoming like him in his death”, but Paul isn’t saying that he wants to die like Christ did. The words “becoming like him” translate to mean “being transformed inwardly in one’s experience to something”. As Jesus died for sin, believers are to die to sin. We are to daily cut ourselves off from our old sinful ways, setting ourselves apart from them, and live our new lives by the power of Christ’s resurrection. This then is a very good description of what our “work” is and of how we are to “work out our salvation”.

Paul says He wants this and hopes that he will somehow be able to attain the resurrection from the dead. What he is actually referring to here is the rapture! Paul was hoping that he would still be alive when the rapture happened, and who can blame him? I think just about every believer ever born has hoped for that. I know I certainly do!

Basically in the above passage, Paul is listing his goals and ambitions, in the hope that others would understand better what the Lord was asking of them, and would imitate him. Knowing that many believers put him up on some kind of pedestal, Paul also lets them know that he hasn’t attained his goals yet, but is instead steadily working toward them which is exactly what we are supposed to be doing. He didn’t want people to read his words and think that it was all good and well for Paul to do these things because he was special or had more power or something. He was telling them that he was no different then anyone else, and that all should be working toward these goals.

Once he’s sure that we understand that we are all to work toward these things, he then tells us how to work toward them. First he says that he forgets what is past. This is no easy matter as most of us know. Satan is often bringing up our past to us and telling us how awful we are because of it. Paul is telling us that if we are going to be effective that we must not allow ourselves to get entangled with our pasts again. All of that is behind us; it’s over and done with and we’ve already been forgiven for it so there is no reason at all to be going over it in our minds any longer. Instead he says that we are to strain toward what is ahead for us, press on toward our goal. What is our goal? What is God’s goal for us? (they should be one and the same thing) Our goal, just as Paul said his goal was, is to be transformed so that we are becoming more and more like Jesus every day.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The Lord works this transformation in us as we work toward it by studying His Word, praying, and constantly cutting ourselves off from our old sinful ways, the ways of the world and living by the spirit in God’s Ways. The last thing Paul says is that all who are mature in Christ should have this viewpoint. This then is a mark of spiritual maturity and yet anther way we can tell if someone is still a baby Christian or if they are indeed working out their salvation and becoming mature as we are supposed to be doing. Paul even puts an end to any discussion about this, basically saying that this point isn’t negotiable and if they think differently that the Lord Himself would show them the truth of what he’s said. His last point is that if nothing else we should at the very least live up to what we have already attained.

What is it that we have “already attained”? Even a brand new baby Christian has attained salvation and knows the Truth that Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life, and that they are a new creation and heaven bound. So even brand new Christians should at the very least be continuing on the narrow path of salvation, holding onto what they’ve already learned, applying it to their daily lives and always striving to learn more. Tomorrow we’ll take a look at what Paul says next. For today though let us all strive to press onward toward our goal of spiritual maturity.

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This week’s promise: God promises that you will work out your salvation

This week’s promise: God promises that you will work out your salvation

Philippians 2:12-16 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

What does it mean when Paul says we are to work out our salvation? Does this mean we can lose it? Is it not free after all? Rest assured that it does not mean we can lose our salvation or that it’s not free. Our salvation was freely given to us, but many seem to look at their salvation as though it is like a free ticket to heaven. They get their ticket, put it in safe place where it sits until the day they die when they figure they will get it out and use it. That is not how it works however.

Over the years I’ve given my children many gifts. Some of the gifts were things like Lego’s. When they got the lego’s, they didn’t empty out the box and sit and look at them, expecting the lego’s to jump into place on their own. They spent hours building all kinds of great things with their legos. The legos were free, but they required work in order for them to be of any use at all. This is very similar to what our salvation is like.

When we become saved, the Lord gives us a new spirit and we become a new creation. We die to our old self and now have the “new self”. The question then is what are we going to do with that “new self”, that new creation? For many the answer is, nothing at all. They seem to think that their new self should just automatically be able to know everything and do everything needed. They wonder why their life hasn’t changed much. They probably go to church every Sunday and think that is all that God ever expects from them. So when things get tough, they may even fall away because God didn’t work for them. They fail to realize that the legos aren’t going to jump into position and make themselves into new and greater creations. They fail to realize that they must work out their salvation, just as the child has to pick up the individual legos and connect them together and keep at it until his creation is complete.

While our salvation is assured from the moment we’re saved, we cannot partake or experience all the great things that the Lord has in store for us if we are not doing our part. The passage above gives us some clues as to what “our part” is in this. The very first one that tends to catch our eye is the world “obeyed”. Paul reminds them that just as they always have, they must continue to obey God. We are told that we are to put into practice in our daily lives the things God shows us and works in us. We are to cultivate and grow the things He gives us and works in us. We need to be reading His Word and reflecting on it daily as this is the food and drink that will cause us to grow. When Paul says we are to do this as we hold out the word of life, He means that as we grow we are to share our testimony and His Word with others and tell them how they too can be saved.

Our salvation then is secure, but it is also something which we need to work on. I like to think of it as a seedling that’s been planted. We need to water it, feed it, nurture it, and protect it so that it will grow. When we do that, then we are like shining stars in a dark world. What a wonderful way to think of how the light of Christ shines through us to reach others! Throughout this week we’ll continue to look at how God expects us to work out our salvation, what our part in this is; what happens when we do this, as well as what happens to those who don’t do this.

Romans 13:11-12 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

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God promises you a cross.

God promises you a cross.

Hebrews 5:7-10 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

I’d like to finish this study by answering the question of why God gives us a cross to bear. The very best place to look for answers is always to Jesus, and as we know, Jesus Himself endured much suffering on the cross for us. The above passage about what Jesus went through can teach us several things.

First let’s note what this says about Jesus and how He prayed and submitted to the Father while He was here on earth. I cannot read that verse without getting a picture of what “the fear of God” looks like, or should look like anyway. Even though Jesus was and is God Himself, He was here to save us and to teach us how we are to live. One of the things He always stressed was the fear of God.

Luke 12:5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

It shouldn’t be surprising them that He would show us what that looks like in His own life, for His Word says that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. When we read about all the things He did, one thing sticks out, that He only did what the Father told Him to do.

John 14:31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave.

John 12:49-50 For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

So we see here that Jesus is even showing us what it looks like to be His follower! We must follow Him, just as He followed His Father.

Next the passage tells us that although He was a son, He learned obedience from what He suffered. We know from the many things Jesus told us that once we are saved, we too are the sons and daughters of God. We are not and never will be divine like Jesus is, but we are his children and heirs to His Kingdom. If Jesus Himself had to suffer to learn obedience, then don’t you think it stands to reason that we just might need to learn that lesson as well? Obedience isn’t a lesson any of us take to easily even as children. As adults we tend to resist even harder at times, although the reasons are usually the same. We just have a slightly better vocabulary then we did as children so we can come up with more ways to say, “but it’s not fair!” However, this isn’t about fairness is it? It’s about obedience. It’s about learning to live as Jesus did so that we too can say that whatever we do or say, we do because the Father has told us to.

I know one of my favorite questions (and that’s a polite word for whining when we’re talking about this) seems to be, “Why?” or even, “Why me?”. I have to thank my mother for something she taught me as a child about those particular questions. (I told you that even though we’re adults, we tend to stick to the same tired old arguments against obedience) As for the question of “why?”, my mother’s answer to that was always, “why not you?” She would ask me what made me think I was better then everyone else that I shouldn’t have to do something. As an adult now I can almost hear my heavenly Father echo her words and say to me, “What makes you think you’re better then My Son that you shouldn’t have to do something?”

John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

May our reply to the Father always be the same as these officials of the King:

2 Samuel 15:15 The king’s officials answered him, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king chooses.”

In the above passage it says that Jesus learned obedience though His suffering and through that came perfection. For us, when we suffer through picking up our cross and following Him, it also teaches us obedience and through that God makes us more and more like Jesus every day. Let me share with you how the Lord would have us look at hardship and suffering that we have to endure:

Hebrews 12:5-11 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

We see here that the cross we bear and our obedience produce righteousness and peace within us. This is not something that comes to us “naturally” though. If it were then everyone in the world who suffers would have this righteousness and peace, and we know that is not true. This is rather something that the Lord produces within us when we are obedient.

James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The above verse reminds me of how Jesus faced the cross for the joy set before Him. We too are to be joyful when we face these trials and hardships and suffering, because it is proof that we are being raised up by our Father to be mature and complete in Him. He is not saying that we should be joyful “for” the trials” but rather that we should be joyful when we are “undergoing” trials, because we know what the outcome of them will be.

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Let us end this study with the above passage which shows us again that our suffering is allowed by our Father in His wisdom, for the same reason He allowed Jesus to suffer. It produces obedience, it draws us closer to Him, and refines our faith until it is pure and unpolluted by the world. Here Peter also reminds us that our faith is the most important thing we have so we should rejoice greatly that it is being refined. Our Father is doing a great work within us! He is making us more and more like Jesus every single day. When we stop and think about it for a minute, we realize how foolish it is to think that we could become like our Lord without experiencing the suffering that He did! Yes, the Lord will give us a cross to bear and for that we can rejoice together because we can then know that we are indeed His children and that we are sharing and participating in the sufferings of our Savior and so becoming more and more like Him as He refines us though these trials.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

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God promises you a cross.

God promises you a cross.

Luke 9:57-62 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

I realize that we looked at this story in Matthew but Luke adds yet another person to it, so I wanted to point this out too. Notice at the very end there’s yet another man that says he wants to follow Jesus, and all he asks is that he be allowed to run back home and say goodbye to his family first. Our Lord’s reply to this man seems quite harsh at first. To us it really doesn’t seem like much to ask—after all, his family will be worried about him, so it would only be right for him to return and let them know what he’s going to do. This should make us realize a couple of things right away. First that as God Himself said, His ways are not our ways, and His Will is always more important then anything else in our lives. It should also make us remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We should never get so comfortable with Him that we take Him for granted or begin to treat Him like “one of us”.

The term used by Jesus, that the person who “looks back” is not fit for service in the Kingdom of God is a reference to Lot’s wife. Let’s take a quick look at that story and see how it fits here.

Genesis 19:16-17 When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

Genesis 19:26 But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

We usually attribulte her being turned to a pillar of salt for her act of disobediance which is quite true. But when we bring this story and link it with what Jesus was saying we can see too that it was more then disobediance. What Jesus is saying is that those who choose to follow Him must be willing to totally break with the world, and those who “look back” are showing a reluctance to break with the world.

What this man asked is also similar to what Elisha asked Elijah when Elijah called him, and Elijah allowed it. The difference here is that Jesus’ calling is that much more important then Elijah’s calling was.

With all of the various excuses that the men gave in the above passage, we can see several temptations that affect us all at times. The first is pretty obvious in that it is that we are often tempted to procrastinate for some reason or another when the Lord has called us. The next one is often one of the hardest or possibly most heartbreaking, but we are tempted at times to stay with our families rather then leave them for Christ. If a family member is constantly standing in our way or trying to keep us from Christ then we must leave that person behind for Him. Jesus made this very clear. He knew that families would become divided because of Him.

Luke 12:51-53 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Another temptation is to get entangled in the affairs of the world as though they are as important as Jesus is. They are not. This world is not our home. We are strangers here now, therefore nothing in this world should ever hold us back from our Lord or from doing His Will.

2 Timothy 2:4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.

James 4:4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

John 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

These then are some of the many temptations that can come between us and Jesus. They are al part of the price, “the cost” of following Him. They are all things we must be willing to give up when called to do so. Do you remember when Peter denied Jesus just before the cross? When Jesus rose again, He came back to Peter and asked Him a question. It’s the same question He asks each one of us:

John 21:15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?”

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God promises you a cross.

God promises you a cross.

Matthew 19:20-22 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Matthew 8:18-22 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Today I’d like to look at a few things that Jesus said and did. In the first passage posted from Matthew 19, Jesus tells a young man who wants to follow Him to go and sell his possessions, give the money he makes to the poor and then he can follow Him. The young man leaves sadly because he can’t bring himself to do that. In the second passage from Matthew 8, Jesus tells another young man that if he wants to follow Him, he needs to do so now, not later after he has buried his father.

What do those passages tell us today? Is it saying that we should sell all we have and give the money to the poor so that we too can really follow Jesus, or that we can’t bury our parents? No, of course not. The Lord included this in His Word to teach us about carrying our cross and what the cost is to be His disciple. If you look at the next 2 passages posted, you’ll see that the others that Jesus called, immediately left everything to follow Him. Does that mean that we too must leave everything we have? Again, no, it’s there to show us the cost of being His follower.

In the case of the rich young man, it shows us that we must put Jesus before our jobs, money, wealth, or possessions. If any of those things mean more to us then Jesus does, if we would not willingly part with them, then we need to do some praying and ask the Lord to strengthen us. The Lord does not ask us all to give up these things, but He does ask us all to put Him first, before those things, and to trust Him in handling them for us. How differently that story would have turned out if the young man had indeed been willing to trust our Lord! Even the disciples were curious about this and asked the Lord what they would receive for giving up everything to follow Him. Here’s what Jesus said:

Matthew 19:28-29 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

His answer reminds me of the story of Job who lost everything he had, children, wealth, property, his health, everything. At the end of his testing however, do you remember what the Lord gave him?

Job 42:10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before…….12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.

This too is something we need to remember. Whatever cross the Lord asks us each to carry, the reward for carrying it will far outweigh the temporary loss, pain, or trial that we had to go through.

Let’s take a closer look at Matthew 8:18-22 now. First a man comes and says he will follow Jesus, but His reply almost doesn’t seem to make sense at first. He says basically that He has no place to lay His head, indicating how poor He was. We have to remember that our Lord knew (and still knows) people’s hearts and their real reason for doing things. During the time period that Jesus lived in, it was quite normal for well known teachers to gather disciples to follow them, and of course the more well known the teacher was, the more famous the disciples would be as well. Jesus of course knew this too and realized that this man was looking for fame and glory and did not have his heart in the right place. He let the man know that he would not find what he was seeking by following Him because He didn’t own a nice home or anything else for that matter.

Next, another man who had already been following Jesus, (we know this because he is called a “disciple” says that he wants to go home and bury his father before continuing with Him. At this point our Lord tells him something that sounds quite cruel at first glance; He tells him to “let the dead bury the dead”. First we need to realize that this mans father had not just died, he was still very much alive. We can know this because it was the custom to bury the dead immediately then. So this man was actually telling the Lord he wanted to go home, wait for his father to die, bury him and then go follow Jesus. It’s possible he wanted to see what his inheritance would be, or perhaps he simply wanted to be there to fulfill his duty to his father when he eventually did die. We aren’t told this. What we need to do though is realize that Jesus knew exactly what was in this mans heart and mind, even though we don’t. This man was basically telling the Lord, “I’ll follow you BUT….”. By saying, “let the dead bury the dead”, the Lord let him know that there were no “buts” allowed! Jesus was letting everyone know that following Him had to be their first priority, not their second or third one.

He also included in His Word many examples of those who were willing to put Him first and follow Him. Here are just a couple that we can learn from:

Matthew 4:18-22 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Luke 5:27-28 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

When our Lord asks us to do something, we need to be prepared to “leave everything” and “immediately” do as he has asked. Have you noticed how even I have used the word “ask”? In reality, we need to remember too that when our Lord “asks” us to do something, it really should be taken as a command. He is not just another human being, or just a nice guy that gave up His life for us. He is God; our creator; and we are nothing more then His creation. Paul used the example sometimes of being in the military. I’m sure military life back then was very much as it is now. When your commanding officer gave you an order, you didn’t question it; you didn’t even consider not obeying. I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying that when someone tells us to jump, we should respond by asking “how high.” Even that isn’t acceptable though when it comes to our Lord. When He tells us to jump, we need to simply say “Yes Lord!” and jump as high as we possibly can for as long as we can until He tells us to stop! He is our commanding officer and we are in a war!

For each of us there will be times that putting Jesus first in every area of our lives, will require a sacrifice. It might be a sacrifice of our pride because co-workers make fun of us for asking them not to take the name of our Lord in vain. It might be the sacrifice of our job because the Lord has asked us to go and work elsewhere or because we have been fired for insisting that we will not work on Sunday. It might be the sacrifice of money because the Lord has laid it on our hearts to give a certain amount of money to a specific individual, or church or ministry etc. It could be more serious and be a sacrifice of our beloved family because they refuse to accept Jesus and constantly insist that we betray Him. It could even be the sacrifice of our physical life because He has placed us in a position where Christians are being killed. Whatever it is, that sacrifice then is our cross for that time.

2 Timothy 2:3-7 Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

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God promises you a cross

I know that with things like this that we're "supposed to" write something new every day. God often does things differently then the world though, so I'd like to use today's time to simply allow us to re-read the previous entries about the Cross and reflect on them. Let's each take the time to talk to the Lord about it today and see what He says to us about it.

God promises you a cross

I need to give myself a bit of a break today, so I'm just going to share with you what I chatted with the Lord about yesterday concerning this. It was right after I had posted the study and I had to go to an appointment so I took that opportunity to chat with Him on the drive over there.

I was concerned that I wasn't getting across what He wanted me to and I told Him that I felt it was really extra hard for us to understand His Word about certain things, especially for those of us living in America, but others who live in modern countries as well. I've talked to Him about this quite a few times at length, so this wasn't anything new except that this time I wanted to try and get the concept across to others and not just myself.

I have pointed out to him various passages to make my point:

Romans 7:25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

2 Corinthians 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

Matthew 27:11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.

Matthew 18:32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

Luke 17:9-10 Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ ”

2 Corinthians 6:4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;

Matthew 20:27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—

Here and now, we honestly don't have any real concept of slavery, or masters, or Kings, or dictators etc. At least I don't. Oh I know what the words mean; I know history and what various kings, dictators slaves, servants, and masters have done, both good and bad, but I have no emotional knowledge of what it means to live under a King (a real King, not like the Queen of England is now) or to be a Master, or to be a slave. I think the closest we come to it is when we're children and we have to live (hopefully) by the rules our parents make until we're old enough to move out. I've tried to imagine what it would be like for someone (a Master or a King etc) to give me an order and expect me to obey it--something I didn't want to do; and I honestly can't wrap my mind around it. I think things like, "well, I'd run away, I'd hide, I'd say no" etc. Even knowing from all my reading that would most likely warrant a beating or worse. See, I have the head knowledge, but I don't have the heart knowledge. I can't imagine living with that kind of fear on a daily, hourly basis. Knowing that some other human being had my life in their hands and could quite literally, within the law, do whatever he or she pleased with me.

Just like now, as

much as we hate what Obama stands for or has done, I can still say things like, "as much as we hate what Obama stands for or has done". I can't imagine living in fear of my life for saying something like that--intellectually yes, but not emotionally--it's not real to me. That's the bottom line I think--it's not REAL.

So what has this got to do with the study about the cross we are to carry or anything else for that matter? It has to do with it because God, Jesus, is our King. He is our Lord and our Master. (or He should be) We are His slaves, His servants. He is a kind and loving Master and has even gone so far as to say He no longer calls us servants, but friends. We have a tendency to stop reading right there though. Read the rest of what He says then:

John 15:15-17 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

Are you seeing what I see? Yes, He loves us; yes, He has called us His friends; BUT He still commands us, and He still tells us what He expects from us and does so in no uncertain terms. He doesn't say, "you're now my friend and my father will give you whatever you ask for". He says "Then" meaning when we are bearing fruit that will last. That isn't a request, it's a command, which He makes even clearer with His last statement, where He says "this is my command".

We have a tendency to think of Him on the same level as perhaps the President of the USA, only of course we know He has more power, but we're not afraid of Him at all! He holds our very lives in His hands--every breath we take is by His Grace and His Will. Yet humans mock Him, disdain Him, even totally disregard Him. Why? Because we have no fear of Him. The fact that He holds our lives in His hands isn't REAL to us! I tend to think that at least part of the reason it's not real is because we have no real emotional understanding of the things we just talked about.

So now let's bring this back to the topic of the study:

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Matthew 10:38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Luke 14:27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

None of those look like requests or suggestions to me. Do they to you? At least they're not for those of us who are saved. Yet, knowing they are commands, how many of us who are born again, really truly understand what He's saying, and understanding, deny ourselves and follow Him? Lest you think that I do, let me assure you that I struggle with this too. That's why I'm constantly asking Him to help me understand this, all of it, and why I asked Him to help me explain it here.

I did a quick search in the Bible for the phrase "fear the Lord" and came up with 82 hits in 81 verses in the ESV Bible. (I used that one as it generally gives the most accurate information when looking for specific words) The KJV gave 75 hits in 74 verses. Then I tried the phrase "fear God" and got 34 hits in 34 verses.

Here's a couple of examples:

1 Peter 2:17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Revelation 14:7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Luke 12:4-5 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

Acts 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.

This verse from 2 Corinthians is often translated "terror of the Lord".

What I'm afraid of is that we don't really know what it means to fear the Lord.... it's not REAL to us....or maybe it's just me.... Let's pray that the Lord in His mercy will teach us, guide us, and give us wisdom and discernment about these things, that we can better serve Him. Then we can truly deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Him.

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God promises you a cross.

Today I will just be answering some questions about this subject.

I understand to put God number 1 in my life but will I be judged over not giving up my Job ? I am confused here! Are you trying to say that I have to pay a penalty when I get to heaven for the things that I do in the world that I should give up, when its apart of survival?

Let me answer the second question first. We need to realize first of all that there are two different groups of people that we're talking about. Mainly when I write, I'm talking to people who are really saved and not to those who aren't. Unfortunately though there are a great many people who call themselves Christian and really don't have a clue what it means to be a Christian. I do write for them as well at times because I'm concerned that they discover the Truth and get themselves really saved.

For you personally, you are saved and you know it. Therefore your sins are all covered by Jesus and you will not be judged for any of your sins. Continuing to work at your job is not a sin. The only ways I can imagine it being a sin would be if the Lord specifically told you that He did not want you to work there, or if by working there you were having to act in a way that was not consistent with your faith.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

Acts 5:29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!

The above verses show us first that God expects us all to work. Now, before I get blasted by stay at home mom's, let me assure you that staying at home and caring for children and your husband is indeed work! I know, I did it too! God also tells us though that no matter who tells us to do or say something that if it contradicts God's Will for us then we are to obey Him and not the person who gave us the contradictory order regardless of who they are or what position they hold in society or in our lives.

for the things that I do in the world that I should give up, when its apart of survival?

First of all the Lord would not ask you to give up something that you need for survival as you say. Yes, He does ask some of us to give up a job at our place of employment sometimes. He may ask it because the place isn't good for us for some reason, or because He wants us to be someplace else, or for any number or reasons; but when He asks (commands) us to give up our job or leave a place of employment, it is not going to affect our survival. Why? Because He will make sure that we have whatever we need to survive--be it another job, or perhaps even being our provision financially Himself, or whatever. He loves us and His plans for us are good, so why would He ask you to do something that would ultimately hurt you? The trick is that when He does ask us to do something that we think is "bad", like giving up our job, we have to trust Him. We have to know that He will take care of us if we obey Him.

This is probably one of the hardest lessons I had to learn personally when I got hurt and became disabled. I loved my job! I wanted to work! I was horrified when the doctors insisted that I couldn't work any longer. In fact I even accused some of being in on some kind of scam with the insurance companies or something because I just "knew" that I could still work. Guess what? They were right and I was wrong. I begged and pleaded with God to let me work, and He simply kept saying "No". I applied for jobs anyway disobeying Him. Of course I used the excuse that "maybe I wasn't hearing Him correctly" or some drivel like that. I even got one finally. The man hired me on the spot. In that instant, I knew that I had to choose who/what I was going to follow. Would I do what "I wanted", or would I obey the Lord and not take the job? I had to obey the Lord. I felt totally humiliated but I admitted my sin to the gentleman who had just hired me and asked his forgiveness explaining that the Lord had said that I was not to work any more. Amazingly he understood and forgave me and I went back home.

There I confessed to the Lord and repented of my sin. I told Him how terribly scared I was because we needed money. He explained through His Word that I needed to trust Him, because He would be our provision. He reminded me that our pay checks and our jobs, our insurance, all those kinds of things, were not where our provision was really coming from. Instead we had to know that ultimately it came from Him and that the flow wouldn't stop just because my pay check wasn't going to be there anymore.

I didn't really understand, but I did know that I could trust Him. Since that day He has taken care of us just as He said He would. This year has been a reminder to me of that lesson because my husband got laid off work at the end of January and still hasn't found a job. Yet the Lord is still providing for us, and I know He always will. Again, I don't have a clue how He does it, just that whatever He does works and that's enough for me.

So after all that, are you holding on to something the Lord has asked you to give up because you think you need it for survival or did you somehow think that the Lord wanted everyone to give up their jobs for Him?

As far as getting penalties go, no there's no penalties, unless you would consider not getting a reward a penalty. Our sins are paid for so the only "judgment" we have coming is one where we will receive rewards for our work for Him. So if you didn't do something He asked you to do, then you wouldn't get the reward for it is all.

Mainly what I was trying to get across especially for those who are "Christians in name only" is that following Christ, being saved, involves sacrifice. That there is more to it then simply saying the sinners prayer and then continuing on with life as always.

How are we supposed to know what our cross is? Should it be known to us? Is it a single thing or multiple things?

Luke 14:27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

I think maybe it would be helpful here to understand what the disciples understood when Jesus said to them that they had to pick up their cross daily or they couldn't be his disciples. Remember, He said this to them before His own execution so they didn't know at the time that He would be crucified.

It was understood in those days when the Roman Empire had people carry their crosses to the execution site, that it was done as a way of making the person admit that the Roman Empire was correct and right to sentence them to death. It was their way of publicly showing that Rome was right and they were wrong. Now, obviously Jesus was not saying that his disciples had to confess that Rome was right and they were wrong. Instead, He included the "and follow me" to show that they were to make a public admittance that He is right; that He is the way the truth and the life.

A cross in those days meant death period. People did not generally survive that experience. For Jesus to say to them to pick up their cross it meant that following Him could be very dangerous to their health for one thing. It also was a public display so Jesus was saying that they needed to be willing to let the world know who was first in their lives. It was a public admission and acknowledgment that you would follow Jesus wherever He led you, even to death if it was His Will.

For us, carrying our cross means daily identifying ourselves with Him, with all He did for us, and a total surrender to His Will for us. It means always remembering that we are not our own, we belong to Christ because He bought us with the precious price of His blood, His life, and because of that we totally submit to His authority and Lordship over our lives. We don't do what we want each day. We do what He wants. Our cross is giving up our lives and living only for Him.

We do often use the expression of carrying our cross and by that are usually referring to something specific the Lord has asked of us and usually that thing is perceived by the world to be "bad".

For example, you could say that one of my crosses to bear is living with chronic pain. Most people would agree that this isn't pleasant and they're right it's not. However, for those of us who do bear this cross, (or any other one) there is much joy in it too and I have to say that the joy far outweighs the physical pain.

So does that mean that all bad things in our lives are our crosses to bear. No, not really. Bad things happen all the time because of sin in the world and they're just that, bad things. A cross however is something specifically happening for or due to the Lord or our faith.

I think that one of the crosses we bear is the one of knowing just how vile we are and what the Lord had to go through for us. It's when we learn there is much more to "sin" then simply not breaking the 10 commandments. As we become more intimately involved with the Lord personally, as we get to know Him better, we see ourselves more clearly and it's usually not a very pleasant experience. When you read all the things Paul wrote, you can clearly see his experience of this.

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

and

1 Timothy 1:13-17 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Sometimes our cross can be our pride; pride in ourselves, our accomplishments, our knowledge, or even our pride in our Christian walk. It could be knowing that people are making fun of you for your faith or even lying about you. It might be having to give up getting or doing something that you really want because the Lord has said "no". It might be moving away from a home that you thought would always be yours because the Lord has told you to go elsewhere. The cross or crosses we bear can be multiple or single and we can know what they are. Obviously, if we are not in constant communion with Him, always talking to Him and listening to Him, then we won't even know when He has said "no" to something because we haven't asked. If we haven't asked, then how can we be living for Him? If anyone isn't aware of what their cross is, they need only to ask the Lord and He will explain it much better then I ever could.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Colossians 1:9-11 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully

Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

I hope I answered your questions Brad. If I misunderstood please feel free to let me know and I'll give it another try!

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God promises you a cross.

God promises you a cross.

Luke 14:26-35 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Matthew 10:37-39 “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

As we see here, the Lord is telling us that we can have nothing and no one in our lives that is more important then He is. He must be first, all the time, everywhere. He must be more important to us then our comfortable homes, then our health, then our families, and more important then our jobs, money, or status. Anything less then that, and we are not His disciples. This is part of the cross we must carry here at times. We must be willing to give up everything for Him. This was not at all what the people were expecting Jesus to say, and it’s not normally what people today expect either. Many people would have you believe the total opposite—that you should follow Jesus so that you can be healthy and wealthy. Unfortunately that is not what Jesus said.

No, Jesus is not calling all of us to live lives of poverty, nor is He calling all of us to die horrible deaths like He did and like many of the early followers did. He is telling us though that we will have a cross to bear and that life will not be easy for us. We will be judged and found wanting by the world, but we will be building up treasure in heaven. Nowhere do I find in the Bible that we should attempt to avoid our cross.

What this unpopular teaching of our Lord was saying is that things won’t be easy for those who follow Him and that they should seriously consider the cost of being His follower before jumping in. Sadly this is something most churches don’t bother telling people about. Instead they allow people to think that life is going to be a picnic after they accept Christ when in reality they’re signing up to be a soldier in a war. Many churches insinuate that all a person needs to do is to accept Christ and that is the extent of their “duty”. That doesn’t sound anything like what the Lord says here or elsewhere does it? No, the Lord tells us that:

· we must be willing to serve Him before all others;

· we must be willing to put His interests above our own;

· we must be willing to put His plans above our own;

· we must be willing to plan and sacrifice;

· we must be willing to persevere even during hardship;

Obviously the only way someone could be willing to do these things for the Lord is if they truly love Him and truly realize that He is their only hope for a future, and because they realize how totally incapable they are of helping themselves. These are the ones that tearfully get on their knees and ask our Lord to save them. These are the ones who become Christians, ready and willing to joyfully do whatever He asks, realizing how very much He has already done for them. This is you and me.

This is our duty, our part; and we do it by reading our bibles, studying His Word and reflecting on it daily and of course through daily prayer and obedience to His Word. Have you noticed that I always try to include the words “study and reflect” whenever I say we need to read our bibles daily? I do that because to often people will quickly read a chapter and feel like they’ve done their duty for the day. That’s not what the Lord is looking for. He wants us to immerse ourselves in His Word, to really get to know it and through it, to know Him. So dutifully doing a quick reading of a few verses or a chapter, closing your bible and not thinking about what it said for the rest of the day is not what He’s looking for. However, I don’t want to get caught up in quantity either. It’s not as important how much you read as it is important that what you read stays with you—that you reflect on it during the day.

Before we close for today, I want to share one other thing with you. Although Jesus asks us to realize the cost of being His follower and asks that we be willing to pay it, He tells us too that He will help us do our part. He doesn’t expect us to do it in our own strength, but rather expects us to allow Him to help us.

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

1 Timothy 1:12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service.

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God promises you a cross.

God promises you a cross.


Matthew 16:21-25 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 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.


Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

In general, people don’t like to talk about or experience pain, heartache, trials, hard times, persecution and death. This was true during the time Jesus was on earth and is true now. We consider those things “bad” and we do all we possibly can to avoid them for ourselves and for those we love. This is even an area that many pastors avoid talking about because they’re afraid that they will scare people away. Yet Jesus never promised us an easy life once we became His, rather, He told us the opposite would be true. Most people today brush that aside and hide from it. Instead, I’d like to examine it and see just what Jesus was talking about.

Even before His death on the cross, our Lord used the idea of carrying a cross to get across to us the seriousness of becoming His follower. Let’s see just what this word meant to Him and what it says to us.

cross, an ancient instrument of execution. Originally the ‘cross’ was an upright stake to which the corpse of an executed criminal was bound for public display or on which the living body of a condemned person was affixed to await death
The cross, in the NT, is a symbol of shame and humiliation, as well as of God’s wisdom and glory revealed through it. Rome used it not only as an instrument of torture and execution but also as a shameful pillory reserved for the worst and lowest. To the Jews it was a sign of being accursed (Dt. 21:23; Gal. 3:13). This was the death Jesus died, and for which the crowd clamoured. He ‘endured the cross, despising the shame’ (Heb. 12:2). The lowest rung in the ladder of our Lord’s humiliation was that he endured ‘even death on a cross’ (Phil. 2:8). For this reason it was a ‘stumbling block’ to the Jews (1 Cor. 1:23; cf. Gal. 5:11). The shameful spectacle of a victim carrying a patibulum was so familiar to his hearers that Jesus three times spoke of the road of discipleship as that of cross-bearing (Mt. 10:38; Mk. 8:34; Lk. 14:27).[1]
1 cross \ˈkrȯs\ n
an affliction that tries one’s virtue, steadfastness, or patience

None of these things sounds very pleasant you’ll have to admit. So what was the Lord saying when He indicated that we too must carry our cross to be His followers? Notice as well that there was no “maybe” or “sometimes” in what He said. If you read the above verses again, you’ll see that Jesus specifically said that we “must” deny ourselves and pick up our crosses “daily”. I don’t think that many people in advertising would suggest using something like this to gain followers either. I found though that God’s Word frequently teaches us the very opposite of what the world teaches.

The Lord obviously felt this was very important. He is someone we can really trust. He never has and never will lie to us. We know that from His Word. We can see from the above verses that He has told us from the very beginning that being a real Christian is not going to be easy. So, let’s look at that first passage and see what’s happening. Let me post it again so we don’t have to keep scrolling up to read it:

Matthew 16:21-25 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 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.

Jesus has just told the disciples about the terrible things that are going to happen to Him. Peter did what I think most of us would have done. Peter loved Him and he didn’t want Jesus to have to go through such a horrible thing. This happens in our lives regularly too. The world has taught us that some things are “bad” and some things are “good”. When “bad” things happen, we tend to think that God sees them as “bad” too, so like Peter, we do our best to avoid them for our loved ones and ourselves.

However, Jesus did the last thing they expected! He rebuked Peter for what he had said! He then explained to him that he wasn’t thinking straight—he was thinking the way the world had taught him and not the way of God. I can just imagine Peter’s shock, can’t you? How could a loving God want His Son to go through such a horrible thing??? Peter was sure he could find a better way to do things. Isn’t that a lot like all of us? I know I often catch myself telling the Lord how I want things done and how I want things to turn out.

Which of us would willingly allow our children to get sick or hurt? Yet we know that catching a cold and getting over it is one way that our immune systems use to become stronger. Our immune system learns how to fight back by practice on smaller things so that when we catch something worse, it has a chance of fighting it off. So perhaps the reason the Lord allows some sicknesses is to prevent the person from succumbing to something far worse in the future. I realize that this is a poor analogy, but it does show one small way that things we consider “bad” aren’t always really bad.

What we have to remember though is that we are not God. We really don’t know what is best for us, or for others, just as Peter didn’t know what was best. If Jesus had not gone through with the Father’s plan, none of us would be spending eternity in heaven. For the most part we simply must trust God to do what’s best, and trust that He isn’t making a mistake in spite of what things look like. God has told us:

Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Since we know that we cannot really understand, at times like this we have to rely on what we do know as Truth. We know the Lord loves us, we know He will always work all things together for good for us; (even when it doesn’t look like it) we know that His plans for us are good ones, plans which include health, happiness and a good future. We know all these things and much more from His Word, and we know that He cannot and does not lie, so we know that we can trust Him. Therefore, in hard times, when things are unpleasant, we need to remember these things about our God, knowing that He is in control, and live by faith rather then by sight.

Rather then avoiding the cross then, we need to “pick it up” which is another way of saying “accept it”. We accept our cross and walk in faith knowing that the Lord is walking with us. The world may cry out at us that what we’re going through isn’t necessary, or that it’s downright wrong that we should have to go through this, but we know better. We know the Lord wouldn’t ask it of us if it wasn’t necessary for our good and even the good of others.

Will you pick up your cross today? Will you have in mind the ways and thoughts of the world, or will you fill your mind instead with the Word of God and His love for you? Will we, like Jesus, have a heart full of joy, even as we endure our various crosses? We can you know. All we have to do is fix our eyes on Him rather then on the cross we’re carrying.

Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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A Little About Me

For those who read these devotionals, I thought I should let you know a little about me.  My name is Cindy.  I am 53 years old, married, mother of 5 adult children and 9 grandchildren.  I first learned about the Lord as a child, although my parents were not Christians.  Although I took my children to church every Sunday, it took until I was 40 before I was finally saved.  I couldn’t get enough of the Lord from that point on and read my Bible and prayed for His enlightenment daily. 

Four years later I was hurt at work and became disabled.  Since I was unable to do anything at all physically except lay on the couch, my husband would turn on our stereo before he left for work.  It was programmed to play 60 praise and worship CD’s, and that is what I listened to day after day.  The only thing I was capable of doing was reading and praying, so I spent the 8 hours a day while my husband was gone, reading my bible, studying it and praying.  I grew more in those months then I had ever grown before!  It was amazing! 

As I healed physically, to where I could sit up and move around some, I felt the Lord wanted me to start a web site.  He told me that the name was to be Fresh-Hope, but I didn’t like that name and argued against it.  Guess what?  He won!  So I began the ministry the Lord gave me, opening Fresh-Hope.com on March 11, 2003.

If you would like to know more about Fresh-Hope, you can read about that here:

I wanted to share my heart with you

I still spend about 5 hours a day reading, studying and reflecting on God’s Word.  Each week, after talking to the Lord, I pick a subject and then each day write a devotional about that subject.  For example, if the subject is about how God has set us apart, The title might be God promises to set you apart, and each day that week I write something new about it.

I call these devotionals, mainly because I’m not sure what else to call them.  Mainly I’m just writing what the Lord has shown me about the subject and sharing it with you all.  I do try and keep it fairly short for your sakes.  I realize that I have a tendency to get very long winded and could usually write 10 times as much about a subject as I wind up posting.  For me, condensing things is the hardest part, because I so thoroughly enjoy digging in God’s Word, searching it with His help to discover what He has to say, that I hate to leave out a single step or a single word of the journey.  I have to count heavily on Him to keep myself focused so that I don’t get too long winded.  I realize that most of you don’t have the time to read and study that I do, so my goal is to share what I’ve learned and hopefully whet your appetite so that you’ll want to go check out what He says for yourself as well.

I would ask one thing of you.  Please, never take anything I say as “gospel truth”.  God’s Word is the only thing you can and should trust to always be right, not me, not your pastor, not your church.  I can promise you that I will always do my very best to never teach anything that is not exactly what God’s Word says, but being human, I can make mistakes.  So I ask that you always check what I say with God’s Word.  If at anytime you feel that I have made a mistake, please don’t hesitate to come to Fresh Hope and let me know about it.  I will most eagerly check what you tell me against God’s Word and if I am mistaken, I will admit it and post a correction as quickly as possible.

Let us then study together to present our approved, as those who correctly handle the Word of Truth, searching it daily to see what the Lord would say to us.

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

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God promises to fill you with joy

This weeks promise. God promises to fill you with joy

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

1 Thessalonians 1:6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

1 Peter 1:8-9 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

When we are born again, we are filled with God’s joy for He has just poured out His love into our hearts. I know for me that it felt so overwhelming that I wasn’t sure I could contain it all! Different people experience this differently and at different times. Again, although we usually consider this joy an emotion, it’s really much more then that. It’s an attribute of God and a fruit of the spirit that is given us by Him for our encouragement and to strengthen us. Once saved, we tend to crave more of God, like we can’t get enough of Him. This is also from the Lord. He uses this joy to cause this craving so that we will open that Bible and learn more of Him! He uses this to draw us closer to Himself so that we can grow in our faith, becoming mature and not lacking anything. However, being human, we tend to grow closer to Him during adversity. We often forget all about one of our strongest weapons during these hard times, which is God’s love and joy. Instead we tend to wallow in what’s going on in our lives. Let’s try today to remember that the Lord has not left us alone to face the world and our trials in it. He is right here with us, both standing beside us strengthening us and dwelling within us, always ready to fill us with His joy and love! All we need to do is to focus on Him instead of on ourselves, our circumstances and the world. Let the Lord fill you with His joy today, and we will praise Him together!

John 14:18-20 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

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God promises to fill you with joy!

This weeks promise. God promises to fill you with joy!

1 Peter 1:3-6 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

1 Corinthians 2:9 However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—

Does your heart swell within you when you read these verses? I know mine does! In the passage above, toward the end where it says “In this you greatly rejoice”, the Lord is telling us again all that we have that others don’t and it should fill us with joy. We have Salvation right here and right now; which means also that we are shielded from the worst by God’s power, and we have a future inheritance that is so fantastic that it is impossible for us to even begin to imagine it! Not only do we have this fantastic inheritance guaranteed each one of us, but it will not be a fleeting one that is here today and gone tomorrow. Our inheritances will last throughout eternity! He tells us to remember this when we’re going through difficult times so that we will be encouraged. Remembering this will bring our focus right back to where it should be—on God!

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

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