Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
-Matthew 16:24-28
The Church should be all about the Gospel. And by the Church, I mean the individual members of the Body of Christ. Many times, however, church goers and believers in Christ alike (and there IS a difference) want to make God, their “church experience”, and more, all about them. This is a poisonous mistake. The Old Testament Kings ignored God for the sake of their desires, Judas was after money and power, Simon the Sorcerer wanted to buy the use of the Holy Spirit, Demas left Paul “for the love of the world,” as have countless others since. Loved ones, God is not about you. He is For you, and there is a difference.
If I have any part to play in the Gospel at all, it is in the execution of Jesus Christ. My sins put Jesus Christ on the Cross, as did yours. A completely pure and innocent man (God in Human flesh) took the wrath of God meant for me on Himself so that I might live and have life to the full. This isn’t a life full of indulgences, but, rather, life as it was meant to be lived: walking in and with the Spirit of God at all times. This isn’t to say I won’t sin anymore. I am still, at times, very self-centered, and often choose me over “His will be done.” Yet, in repentance, I seek the Lord, I repent, I deny myself and pick up my cross daily to follow after Christ. Following Jesus won’t get me the desires of my flesh, but, if the desires of my heart are to see God’s Kingdom come and God’s will be done, then I shall have those things.
Loved ones, self-centeredness is a poison that has no place in the walk of the believer. We should fall on our faces, and repent, and ask God to get rid of anything that is not of Him. We should seek God’s Kingdom and God’s will, and then watch as the desires of our hearts (which should always be to see God’s will) unfold before our eyes. Otherwise, we’re merely self-seeking and using God as an excuse. Die to yourself, live in Christ. Live for yourself, lose your life, not once, but twice. Choose wisely.
Psalm 139
O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the
sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!
O men of blood, depart from me!
They speak against you with malicious intent;
your enemies take your name in vain.
Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them with complete hatred;
I count them my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
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