Jesus as Lord
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (NRSV)
There are two different ways to believe in Jesus. The most common one is merely to believe in Him inside your head. The road less travelled is to believe in Him with your very life. So which one is it for you?
I used to be very much a “my way or the highway” kind of guy.
So it was a big thing for me to hand my life over to God. Not just to kind of believe in Jesus from a distance, but to make Him Lord of my life. There’s a difference. Here’s how Jesus put it:
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (NRSV)
Denying yourself, as He puts it, means giving up some things that you don’t want to give up. There’s no point in mincing words. Following Jesus involves sacrifice.
I used to be brutally tough on people to the point of absurdity. I’d walk all over them because I could. But you can’t keep doing that and still follow Jesus. It’s one or the other. Our natural instinct is to be in charge, to do it our way. The problem is that that job is already taken. It belongs to God.
Believing in Jesus … that’s one thing. Making Him the Lord of your life is another thing entirely. So can I ask you, are you a believer or a disciple? Are you someone who merely says, “Sure, I believe Jesus died for me,” … and then goes on living life just the same?
Or are you a disciple, a learner, a follower who’s prepared to deny your natural whims and fancies, take up your cross and follow Jesus?
In short, is Jesus the Lord of your life … or not?
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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