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LEARN & GROW
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Week of April 26, 2009
KEY VERSE
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34)
CENTRAL TRUTH
Following Christ requires that we deliberately and consciously take very specific actions.
DEVOTION
When Jesus was talking, both to his disciples and to the crowd, He very clearly laid out requirements for those who desired to know Him and to follow in His footsteps. Interestingly, the very first thing Jesus listed as a requirement was self denial. Denying oneself means consciously refraining from satisfying one's desires or needs. God knows that we humans, by nature, tend to look out for our own self interests first. Only when we consciously surrender ourselves, however, let go, and lay down our own wants and desires as our prime motivation, can we proceed. Next, Jesus says we need to take up the cross--another deliberate, willful, and personally sacrificial action. Jesus bore the ultimate sacrificial cross--a very humiliating and painful journey none of us could endure. Our personal crosses will not be as devastating as the one Jesus bore, but they will still feel heavy, painful, and, perhaps, even embarrassing or humiliating. It could be a problem relating to health, relationships, business, finances, or any number of issues. We take up our cross voluntarily and die to self. My own cross has been a very severe business and financial failure. Perhaps you even caused the issue yourself. In any case, we would much rather put our crosses down, walk away from them, and avoid the pain, rather than carry them. Jesus may take the crosses from us some day, but He did not tell us to lay them down and walk away from them. "Follow me" is Jesus' third instruction. Notice that He tells us to do all three things, not just one or two of them. We have to stop putting ourselves first. We have to endure our cross. Then we are ready to follow Jesus. How do we follow or imitate Jesus? We do what He did. We obey all God's commands. We do not get to pick and choose which ones we obey. How do we know what He did and what He said? We study Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- In what ways, do you need yet to deny yourself in order to follow Jesus Christ?
- What cross(es) are your currently carrying as you prepare to follow Jesus?
- What conscious decisions can you make right now to more fully obey and emulate the words and actions of Jesus Christ?
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