Fasten your seatbelts; here we go!
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose
it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
(Matthew 16:24-25 NKJV)
“To deny oneself” isn’t a “get what you want” deal.
It’s a “give up everything” lifestyle.
What does it mean to deny myself and to “take up my cross”?
Well, it’s not about exalting me.
It’s about SLAYING me.
It’s the death of self.
You win by losing.
You live by dying.
And THAT is the heart message of the gospel.
Notice this Scripture doesn’t mention anything about
improving your self-esteem,
being rich & successful,
or having your felt needs met—
that’s a sugar-coated gospel.
That’s Jesus Lite.
And that’s unbiblical.
But that’s what lots of churches are preaching.
So who’s right?
Is the message of Christianity self-fulfillment, or is it self-denial?
It can’t be both.
If it’s just a matter of opinion, I’ll do my thing and you do yours, and we’ll
both cruise contentedly along in separate directions.
Christianity—the genuine gospel of Jesus Christ—is not a matter
of opinion. It’s a matter of truth.
What you want, or I want, or anybody else wants,
makes no difference whatsoever.
It is what it is—by God’s sovereign will.
And He’s a God we can TRUST!
His ways are absolutely perfect.
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Thoughts?
