I’ve been conned

Mark 8:34 Then Jesus called the crowd and his followers to him. He said, "Any of you who want to be my follower must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me.

The lie that’s been doing the rounds, for years now, is that if you manage to accumulate lots of wealth, lots of really nice things, then … then you’ll be happy!

I remember the morning I woke up and realised that I’d been conned. I mean, it was a lie, I’d been duped.

What they’d sold me all my life is that things, stuff, possessions would make me happy. And one day I realised, they just don’t. But you know the crazy thing? This lie – it was so much part of who I’d become, that the more I realised it was a lie, the harder I worked at turning it into a truth. It’s crazy, as though somehow that was possible.

But that’s what we do when we have so much invested in a lie. And so many people are doing that, still today.

When I finally hit rock bottom, with a “thump” … there only seemed to be one way to turn, and that was towards God. But Jesus sent out such a difficult message.

Then Jesus called the crowd and his followers to him. He said, “Any of you who want to be my follower must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me. (Mark 8:34)

But here’s the crazy thing, as difficult as it can be some days to follow Jesus – and let’s be honest, some days it is really tough – carrying the cross He’s given me, paying the price for following Him, making the sacrifices that are involved, well, it’s the only way, the only place where I’ve discovered the deep contentment I’d be looking for.

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, anything worthwhile in life, it always involves sacrifices.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.

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