Matthew 16:24

Good morning!

Matthew 16:24: Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me."

This song as been stuck in my head all morning and thus has inspired me to write today.

The Cross before me. 

The World behind me. 

Though none go with me. 

Still I will follow. 

Easy to sing but much harder to do. This has become a daily event for me. This doesn't just happen once when you decide to follow Jesus and receive His salvation. It doesn't end there. The Cross is ever before me and I am always striving towards it. The World is always behind me, desperately wanting to draw me in deeper, pulling me further away from my goal. Most days, it seems like I am all alone. No one is with me. I am the naive child who believes in something I cannot see. I trust in a God others mock and defame. This World tells you as much as it can that following is for the weak. You are the leader and maker of your own destiny. You have to be a blazer of your own path to make a difference in this World.
Still I will follow...

On this Winning Souls Wednesday, the message I want to get across to everyone, saved or perishing, is that you are either following after the Cross or you are being dragged by the World. The two won't ever go together. Jesus said if anyone wants to come after me, they have to leave the world behind. Forget all of yourself and all of the junk that we have believed for so long is important, and take up your Cross. Follow Him even though no one would go with you. God loves to see that one person standing out and shining through the pack!

I found the Cross one night laying in my bed and I was changed forever. But it doesn't end there. Daily, I must take up my Cross and decide to live like Jesus as best as I can even though everything around me sways me in the other direction. Still I press on up that hill. Still I reach out to Jesus who makes being alone worth it. Still I will follow and come after Him.

The Cross before me

The World behind me

No turning back