Feeding the Sheep - Taking Up Your Cross
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
“For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?" '
Luke 9:23-26 TLV
[This is the 15th message of this series]
[The Name Jesus in their language is Yeshua, the TLV uses Yeshua in place of Jesus]
This lesson is intended for mature believers (or adulting believers). For a more orderly study, please go through all the previous messages first, if you haven't yet.
Adulting
All new believers are going to have to grow up, and mature.
They are going to have to go through a rebirth and outgrow their infancy and adolescence stage, and start walking as a fully mature believer in Christ.
Galatians 6:9
"Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in."
There is an old quote that says 'nice guys finish last', and for the most part this is true.
Doing what Christ told us to do will result more and more into us becoming more and more unpopular and will not gain us success in the way the world views how success should be.
This just proves the point that God's ways are not man's ways, and Jesus telling His disciples "anyone who wants to be first must be the very last (and the servant of all)."
[Learn more here, Coming In Last Place]
Everything is just upside down with Jesus.
Cross To Bear
As a maturing Christian, each one has a cross they are willing to carry. They can choose not to, of course and hence stay as a baby Christian.
Jesus carried His cross to bear all the way to the end, even though He knew what will happen -- pain, sorrow, death, and salvation, redemption and reconciliation for humankind.
We too will know the cost of us carrying our own crosses, and what it will mean for us. It will not be entirely the same for everyone, but it will involve undergoing things that are difficult, and which we will have to decide to choose to do.
Marked With Suffering
The Apostle Peter wrote to the first believers in the first century
"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." 1 Peter 5:10
If it was not difficult there would have been nothing to restore and no need to be strengthened. It is precisely because of this, that as we walk with Christ, there will be things that will be left behind, there will be friendships lost, jobs and opportunities turned down, relationships walked away from, reputations stained, we will receive criticisms and many other things that goes with being a Christian. The world hates those who are not with them. And they love those who are walking in the ways of the world.
Not A Bed of Roses
When we decided to chose to live a Christian life of servant leadership, we cried over it for days. We cried because we knew what the Lord was calling us to do and we know it wouldn't be easy. We had our own plans but the Lord has something else planned out and though we know it is the best plan for our lives, we also knew how difficult it will be.
On-the-Job Training
But like everywhere else, we accepted the job offer and learned how to handle it on-the-job. The hardest part was over, it was deciding to accept the mission asked of us to do.
The promise was God will never leave us nor forsake us. He will be there come high wind and waters, the currents will not carry us away or drown us, and the flames will not burn us.
But we knew these trials and tribulations will come and even though it was a hard decision to make, it was also the easiest.
Ancient Israel's King David wrote and sang a psalm that says, we will have many troubles, but the Lord will deliver us from them all.
Ways of the World
In this world you may only have a few proiblems, but there is no guarantee that you will be able to handle them.
We have never heard any of the richest and most successful people in the world say that they were the happiest people on earth and that there was nothing more they want to do or achieve (even though they have more riches that they can handle or spend). Many of them end up giving their money to charity or losing them, and for sure they were not able to bring it with them when they left this world (not even the Pharoahs as we are still able to dig up and take the richest that were buried with them when they died).
Also not one of the richest people will say that they never had any regrets about the decisions they have made.
Also not one of the richest people will say that they never had any regrets about the decisions they have made.
There are always regrets and what ifs.
Sadly, success and contentment are not found in anything in this world, and even the richest people will tell you that. At the end of their lives, most will realize that everything they worked for all their lives, were not really that important and that they were mostly empty, meaningless or superficial.
Only One Thing Remains
The Apostle Paul wrote to the first believers in the City of Corinth this:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love."
Love never disappoints.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
Love always perseveres.
God is love.
Choosing God is the hardest decision we made. But in the end, it was the only decision to make.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
Sadly, success and contentment are not found in anything in this world, and even the richest people will tell you that. At the end of their lives, most will realize that everything they worked for all their lives, were not really that important and that they were mostly empty, meaningless or superficial.
Only One Thing Remains
The Apostle Paul wrote to the first believers in the City of Corinth this:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love."
Love never disappoints.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
Love always perseveres.
God is love.
Choosing God is the hardest decision we made. But in the end, it was the only decision to make.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
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