Exalting Christ
Gaining in Jesus Christ
Luke 9:23-27
The Message
23-27 Then
he told them what they could expect for themselves: “Anyone who intends
to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat—I
am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you
how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my
way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get
everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is
embarrassed with me and the way I’m leading you, know that the Son of
Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his
splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn’t, you
realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand
right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the
kingdom of God.”
For Reflection
Faith
is full of paradoxes. In the sixties many abandoned convention to
"find themselves" only to lose themselves in a morass of chaos. One
finds him or herself only in losing him or herself in something that
they realize is more important than themselves. Lose your self in
service to God. Find your true self by abandoning the search.
Pray
that
you will lose your reliance on self for reliance on God. Pray that you
will lose your self in service to to the One who promises that your
sacrifice of self is rewarded in joy unattainable by any other means.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please post comments here.