Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, a April 28, 2012 at 5:08pm Matthew 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”“These words are not an invitation to discipleship for outsiders,” states The New Interpreter’s Bible, “but reflection on the meaning of discipleship for those who have already responded to the call of Christ.” The three steps that Jesus outlined, as recorded in that scripture, are to be taken by believers. Let us consider each step separately.First, we must deny ourselves. The Greek word for “to deny himself” indicates a willingness to say no to selfish desires or personal convenience. Denying ourselves is not just a matter of our occasionally forgoing certain pleasures; neither does it mean that we become ascetic or self-destructive. We are no longer ‘ our own’ in that we willingly surrender our whole life and everything in it to God. (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20) Rather than being self-oriented, our life becomes God-oriented. Denying ourselves implies a determination to do the will of God, even though this may go against our own imperfect inclinations. We show that we are exclusively devoted to God when we make a dedication to him and get baptized. We then strive to live up to our dedication for the rest of our life.The second step is that we must take up our cross.. In the first century, a cross represented suffering, shame, and death. Normally, only criminals were executed on a cross or had their dead bodies hung on one. . By this expression, Jesus showed that a Christian must be prepared to accept persecution, contempt, or even death, since he is no part of the world. (John 15:18-20) Our Christian standards set us apart, so the world may ‘speak evil ‘ of us. (1 Peter 4:4) This could happen at school, at our place of work, or even within the family. (Luke 9:23) Nevertheless, we are willing to endure the world’s contempt because we no longer live for ourselves. Jesus said: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”(Matthew 5:11, 12) Indeed, having God’s favor is what matters.Third, Jesus Christ said that we must follow him. According to An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine, to follow means to be a companion—“one going in the same way.” First John 2:6 states: “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”How did Jesus walk? Jesus’ love for his heavenly Father and for his disciples left no room for selfishness. “ Christ did not please himself,” wrote Paul. (Romans 15:3) Even when he felt tired or hungry, Jesus put the needs of others before his own. (Mark 6:31-34) Jesus also exerted himself vigorously in the preaching and teaching work. Should we not imitate him as we zealously fulfill our commission to ‘make disciples of people of all the nations, teaching them to observe all the things Jesus has commanded’? (Matthew 28:19, 20) In all of this, Christ left a example for us, and we must “follow his steps closely.”—1 Peter 2:21. It is vital that we deny ourselves, pick up our cross , and continually follow our Exemplar. Our doing so counteracts selfishness—a sure obstacle to displaying self-sacrificing love. Moreover, Jesus said: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”—Matthew 16:25, 26.Have you taken these three steps? Like ·
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 15:05:49 +0000
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