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of Jesus |
and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will |
TAKING MY
OWN CROSS TODAY
By
Keith
Winterowd
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Matt 10
[37] He that loveth father or
mother more than me is
not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more
than me is
not worthy of me.
[38] And he that taketh not his
cross, and followeth
after me, is not worthy of me.
[39] He that findeth his life
shall lose it: and he
that loseth his life for my sake it.
Matthew 18
[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.
[25] For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it: and
whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
[26] 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?
WHAT DOES MY OWN CROSS LOOK
LIKE?
If I can't walk away from it, there
isn't any cross in
it
If I don't take it up voluntarily,
there isn't any
cross in it
If it isn't out of love of the
Father, there isn't any
cross in it
If the purpose hasn't anything to
do with seeking
eternal life with the Father, there's no cross in it.
If it doesn't ultimately put my
life in this world in
mortal danger as it did Jesus, there's no cross in it
If my plans don't include turning
my life and will
over to the Father, there isn't any cross in it
If I'm following anyone other that
Jesus, there isn't
any cross in it
If I'm doing it out of sacrifice,
there is no cross in
it
If the way isn't the Way of Jesus
there isn't any
cross in it
If the life I'm leading isn't the
life of Jesus,
there's no cross in it
If I'm not, not doing the crazy
behavior that causes
me to not follow the Lord, there is no cross in it
If it isn't of the truth, there
isn't any cross in it
If my main concern in my life is
amassing things
physical, emotional, financial, intellectuallly
or socially
in this world, there's no cross in it
If I'm worrying about what will
happen to me, there
isn't any cross in it.
TAKING UP MY OWN CROSS LIKE JESUS DID
IS IN CONNECTION WITH THE FATHER'S WILL
It is in patterning my life as
Jesus lives.
It's in the the hearing the voice
of Jesus as my only
shepherd and teacher.
It is in believing everything Jesus
says as the
absolute truth.
It is in obeying Jesus
commandments.
It is in follwing the ways of the
Lord Jesus
It's in the decision to turn my
life over to the care
of the Father
It's the decision to turn away from
the ways of the
world
It's to follow truth regardless
It's in loving the LORD my GOD with
all my heart and
being
It's in loving my neighbor as
myself
It's in loving my enemy and praying
for those who
spitefully use me.
It's in turning away from my old
ideas and my old ways
and seeking the Holy Spirit to guide me in to all truth
It is in dying as Jesus died.
PEACE BE TO YOU AND TO YOUR
HOUSE
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