Chapter 8

Week 8 Devotional Thought: (Posts weekend of Oct 21/22)

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 

-Luke 9:23-25

Jesus’ words are emphatic.  The only way to truly live is to die to yourself and live for something much bigger.  Live for a kingdom that is unshakable.  Invest your life in something that will last forever. Makes sense, eh?  So why do few Christfollowers join the ranks of the three hundred?  The answer is not difficult.  They are not yet fully committed to Christ. They have one foot in the kingdom of man and one foot in the kingdom of Christ.  They are not truly convinced that Christ’s way is the better way nor that His way leads to the abundant life.  Rather than focus on everyone else, perhaps it is best to focus your attention on YOU.  What are you living for? Truly? Are you one of the 300 who were totally committed to the battle and winning the war?  Are you one of the three hundred who have died to self in order to live for God?  What is the object of your greatest pursuit and passions? What are you expending the most energy chasing after?  

Jesus warned us time and again that the road would be narrow and only a few would find it. Are you in the number of the few?  It's not a matter of perfection, nor is it a matter of salvation by good works. It is a matter of the will. Is your will bent on using your life to glorify God.  That's what you want more than anything else.  That's why you wake up every day.  If this is you, I can guarantee that you are daily seeking and communing with God, listening to His voice, and more often than not, seeing the unfortunate events of your life in light of what God is trying to accomplish in and through you. I can guarantee one other thing as well.  Your life is exciting, adventurous, and fulfilling with a centralized joy and sorrows that are only peripheral.

  

Weekly Response

1. Are you one of the three hundred God uses to change the world?  What changes do you need to make to enter the ranks of the few?

2. Are you afraid to say to God, “Hinene. Here I am. Do with me as you please.” Why? Why not?  Does Romans 8: 31-39 help in any way?

3. What do you think Jesus meant when he said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”  Does this describe your life? Are you willing to make the necessary changes to conform your life to this truth?

4. Of the Seven Resolutions, which one or ones do you struggle with most? Why?

5. What is the relationship between a mundane monotonous life and one’s failure to live for something bigger than himself/herself?

6. Are you ready to incorporate these resolutions? Place them in clear sight (Refrigerator Door, Office Cubicle, Work Space Desk, Car Visor) and speak them into your life seven days a week for seven weeks, forty-nine days. Once your life is governed by these resolutions, you will find yourself sensing and experiencing the presence of God in a way you never have before. Furthermore, you will notice His divine intervention in the smallest details of you life.

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

-2 Chronicle 16:19