Post by mommadee48 on Mar 24, 2023 10:55:28 GMT -5
OUR DAILY BREAD:
MORE THAN A LITTLE PIECE : READ MATTHEW 16:21-28).
We all leave a bit of ourselves behind when we move to a new place. But to become a long-term resident of Villas Las Estrellas, Antarctica, a cold and desolate place, leaving a piece of yourself behind is a literal thing. With the nearest hospital 625 miles away, a person will be in serious trouble if their appendix burst. So every citizen must first undergo an appendectomy before moving there.
Drastic, right?
But it's not as drastic as becoming a resident of the Kingdom of God. Because people want to follow Jesus on their own terms and not His (MATTHEW 16:25-27), He refines what it means to be a disciple. He said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me"(v.24). This includes being prepared to let go of anything that competes with Him and His Kingdom. And as we take up our cross, we declare a willingness to undergo social and political oppression and even death for the sake of devotion to Christ. Along with letting go and taking up, we're also to take on a willingness to truly follow Him. This is a moment-by-moment posture of following His lead as He guides us into service and sacrifice.
Following Jesus means so much more than leaving a little piece of our lives behind. As He helps us. it's about submitting and surrendering our whole lives---including our bodies---to Him alone.
What does it mean for you to follow Jesus?
How is He asking you to sacrifice your life for Him?
OUR DAILY WORD:
RELEASING KEEPS ME IN THE FLOW OF LIFE:
I am always growing, always changing. The very nature of life is change. Integral to this change is the clearing out of the old to make way for the new.
I see examples of this throughout all aspects of life. Whether cleaning out a closet or searching my memories for long-forgotten assumptions or resentments that have hardened my heart, releasing what ever no longer supports my growth frees me.
I am meant to live as the powerful, creative, spiritual being I am. I express the power and presence of God with greater clarity and purpose when I am no longer carrying the weight of past experiences and regrets. I do not shrink to fit an outmoded version of myself. I release the past and live boldly into my brilliant future.
"Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. (ISAIAH 43:18).
MORE THAN A LITTLE PIECE : READ MATTHEW 16:21-28).
We all leave a bit of ourselves behind when we move to a new place. But to become a long-term resident of Villas Las Estrellas, Antarctica, a cold and desolate place, leaving a piece of yourself behind is a literal thing. With the nearest hospital 625 miles away, a person will be in serious trouble if their appendix burst. So every citizen must first undergo an appendectomy before moving there.
Drastic, right?
But it's not as drastic as becoming a resident of the Kingdom of God. Because people want to follow Jesus on their own terms and not His (MATTHEW 16:25-27), He refines what it means to be a disciple. He said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me"(v.24). This includes being prepared to let go of anything that competes with Him and His Kingdom. And as we take up our cross, we declare a willingness to undergo social and political oppression and even death for the sake of devotion to Christ. Along with letting go and taking up, we're also to take on a willingness to truly follow Him. This is a moment-by-moment posture of following His lead as He guides us into service and sacrifice.
Following Jesus means so much more than leaving a little piece of our lives behind. As He helps us. it's about submitting and surrendering our whole lives---including our bodies---to Him alone.
What does it mean for you to follow Jesus?
How is He asking you to sacrifice your life for Him?
OUR DAILY WORD:
RELEASING KEEPS ME IN THE FLOW OF LIFE:
I am always growing, always changing. The very nature of life is change. Integral to this change is the clearing out of the old to make way for the new.
I see examples of this throughout all aspects of life. Whether cleaning out a closet or searching my memories for long-forgotten assumptions or resentments that have hardened my heart, releasing what ever no longer supports my growth frees me.
I am meant to live as the powerful, creative, spiritual being I am. I express the power and presence of God with greater clarity and purpose when I am no longer carrying the weight of past experiences and regrets. I do not shrink to fit an outmoded version of myself. I release the past and live boldly into my brilliant future.
"Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. (ISAIAH 43:18).