SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2011
“Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?’” Mark 8:34-37
READ
Jesus makes three demands for anyone who wishes to become His disciple. First of all He says that we must deny ourselves. What does He mean by that? Jesus is telling us that we must deny our own self-promoting ambitions in order to follow Him.
Secondly, Jesus demands that we must take up a cross. We understand the importance of a cross in Jesus’ life even if the disciples would not have fully understood it as they listened to Jesus. This is basically a call to us to be willing to join the ranks of the suffering and persecuted. Disciples must be willing to deny themselves even to the point of giving up their lives.
Finally, Jesus asks the disciples to follow Him. We should not follow our own paths in life but instead seek out the path of following Christ and serving others. All three of these demands seem severe but we need to remember that the best way to live is the way Jesus has described.
PREPARE
- Praise God for who He is
- Confess your sinfulness
- Allow His Spirit to draw you near
- Listen as He speaks to you
PRAY
- Pray that God helps us to understand a self giving, cross bearing, Christ following life
- Pray that God gives us strength for this high calling
TRUST
- Thank God for hearing you
- Trust that God is at work to accomplish His will
FOLLOW
What’s happening around us?
House of Friendship is a local organization whose mission is to serve low-income adults, youth and children in need of support, and to promote opportunities for personal growth, wholesome relationships and community development through the application of holistic Christian principles.
Over 1000 people regularly volunteer at House of Friendship in a variety of roles. Opportunities include helping out at food hamper and turkey drives, providing rides for those who need it, helping out at community centres, assisting with childcare, working as kitchen staff, tutoring life-skills and more.