Daily Devotional

-June 27, 2021-

Good morning, happy Lord’s Day,

-The Life Worth Living-

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘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).

Jesus came into this world to die on the cross for our sins. Through faith in Him and His finished work on cross, our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life. He died, He rose from the dead, and He ascended back to heaven.

The Christian life just begins at salvation. Just as salvation is a choice to receive Christ, following Him, living for Him and serving Him is also a decision we must make. The life of a disciple of Christ is one of self sacrifice, commitment, and dedication to our Lord and Savior. Through the gospels, Jesus calls His followers to this life that is worth living. He will never force us to come after Him, but He desires that we desire it. Jesus never promised an easy life, but an abundant and fulfilled life. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

This more abundant life involves denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. There are no halfway disciples, we must go all the way. Denying ourselves, is to give up our own will, plans, and desires to follow Christ; to take up our cross, is to identify ourselves with Christ and His kingdom; and to follow Christ, is to do His will and serve Him, no turning back. This is the only life worth living.

Our Savior makes it abundantly clear that if we seek to save our lives, we will lose them. In thinking to live for ourselves, please ourselves, and seek an easy life life will never work. On the other hand, when we lose our lives, that is give up our personal desires and plans in order to live for Christ and serve Him, we will really save them.

Will you choose to come after Christ, take up your cross, and follow Him? It is really the only life worth living for and dying for. The apostles and the early Christians lived this way and they turned the world upside down!

We can do the same today we must be all in. It is the difference between sticking our toes in the water verses diving in. My Bible teacher Bill MacDonald commented on verse 25, “The Lord anticipates two hindrances to discipleship. The first is the natural temptation to save oneself from discomfort, pain, loneliness, and loss. The other is to become wealthy. As to the first, Jesus warned that those who hug their lives for selfish purposes would never find fulfillment; those who recklessly abandon their lives to Him, not counting the cost, would find the reason for their existence.”

Have a blessed day following Christ in full commitment today. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean