"Follow Me"

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23

When Jesus said to, "Follow Me", He also said that there would be a cross to bear involved. In modern day Christianity we have a "one-sided" view of what it means to "follow" Jesus. We want to follow Him for the blessings and what He can do for us, like the multitudes that followed Him did while He was here on earth. "And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole." (Mark 6:56)

We want to follow Him in the works. We want to do the same works He did- miracles, heal the sick, teach, preach, minister. We want to follow His power. We want to follow in the glory. We want to be used in the gifts of the Spirit. And this seems to be our whole focus and desire when it comes to following Him. But there is more to following Jesus than what we consider the "glamorous" side of ministry- this is only one side of following Him.

There was a reason why Jesus said that those who would follow Him would also bear a cross. There is no gospel without the cross. There can be no discipleship without the cross. Jesus bore a cross and we do too.

So what does it mean to "follow Him"? It means to follow Him down the same path He walked. We are to follow Him on the path of obedience, the path of suffering, the path of sacrifice and self-denial. It is a path that surrenders to the will of God no matter what it cost us- “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39b- NIV) Following Him means that we will suffer pain, rejection and sorrow. And eventually it will mean death- death to self-- self-will, self-desire, self-ambition, self-love.

When you say you are a follower of Jesus, what do you mean? Do you mean that you are following His blessings, His power, His glory, His works? Or are you following Him by following Him to the cross as well?

Have a great day. What kind of follower are you?

For further reading:
Mark 10:21; 37-39
Hebrews 5:8Philippians 3:10

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact.
Please remember to give credit to
About the Master's Business Ministry.
Take time to visit our on-line Christian magazine and blogs.
http://livingstonesmagazine.homestead.com

"True Symbol of Love"

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." 1 John 4:16

We are celebrating Valentine's Day today. It is a day when we let others know that we love them through the exchange of cards, candy, flowers and other gifts. This celebration of love is symbolized by hearts and a cherub type figure named Cupid- the Roman god of love.

There are a couple of things I want to say about this day- known as the celebration of love. For the Christian "Valentine's Day", because it is suppose to represent showing expressions of love, should not be just a special occasion on the calendar or a once a year event. We are to walk in love everyday- love toward God and love toward our neighbors.

The next thing I want to say is Cupid a mythological, fictitious god who has nothing to do with love. But there is a real God of love. The Lord God- the only true and living God. And He is not just the God of love, but He is love. He doesn't just posses love, His whole nature and character is one of love.

In the English language the word "love" is considered an abstract word. Abstracts are nouns which are not tangible objects but depict feelings, concepts, etc. So how can you put a picture to an abstract word? How can you visualize a feeling? Today we will exchange heart shaped gifts because we think this is a true picture of what love looks like. True love may start in the heart, but that isn't the true picture of love. The Lord God drew us a true picture of what this abstract word looks like-- it was the cross. The cross is the true symbol of love. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

Today you will tell others that you love them, you may exchange gifts, you may receive a box of chocolate or a heart shaped something, but as you do, remember that God has given you a much greater gift of love- the gift of eternal life that came through His Son Jesus Christ. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Have a great day. The true picture of love is not defined by hearts, flowers, candy or jewelry, but it is defined by the cross.

For further reading:
1 John 4:7-12
John 3:17

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
and is sent to you free of charge for the asking from
About the Master's Business Ministry, Inc.
Please feel free to
call (601) 833-5278 or
Email: mastersbusiness@bellsouth.net
Visit us on the web: www.mastersbusiness.org

You are welcomed to make copies and distribute them free of charge.
You may also forward them via e-mail or post them to your website - leaving the whole message in tact.
Please remember to give credit to
About the Master's Business Ministry.
Take time to visit our on-line Christian magazine and blogs.
http://livingstonesmagazine.homestead.com