Mark 8:34-38
Mark 8:34-38 is such a familiar passage with Jesus talking about taking up our cross and following Him, and losing our life to save it. And then verse 36 "'For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?'"
It's so easy to read or hear this passage and nod our heads in agreement. But living out our belief in Jesus' words takes some work on our part and that can be difficult. The pull of the world is constant and strong, and its message isn't about God. Everywhere you look, both boldly and subtly, the world's message is: It's all about you. It's about what you want and what you have.
So how do we combat giving in to the messages of the world? How do we shake off, lose, ditch (you pick the word) our worldly life to fully and unashamedly live for Christ? Tami W.
I think that we need to keep focused on God - and what He would want us to do. If we focus on the world, we get trapped and become more worldly. If we focus on God, we become more like God.
The cross here was an instrument of death to the readers. What Jesus was telling his readers was that they were to die to themselves to follow Him. First it says to deny yourself, then take up your cross. Taking up you cross then continual. We as Christians must always have our cross with us, being always ready to let the old nature in us die so that we would live for Christ.
I find it interesting that the hearers of this message didn't yet know that Jesus would literally go to the cross. It would've sounded a little vulgar to be using such a dramatic picture. What a further comfort to us then that Jesus actually literally did take up his cross and obey His Father to the point of excruciating death.
In fact, this same message is quite foreign to our culture. We're self indulgent in every respect. Denying ourselves is going against the grain. And yet it is a respected character trait to the world to be self sacrificial in order to follow convictions or strive for a goal. Not that worldly acceptance is a to be strived after...we strive to reflect Christ.
We must fill our hearts and minds with the things of God. After all, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Let's not fill ourselves with mindless and time wasting passions that do not reflect our Saviour.
looking at this scripture gives you an insight on the human nature so may at time we want things to go our regardless if its good or bad but one thing we do learn is that if we are willing to take up our cross and forget about what we want and allign ourselves to what God wants for our lives the less trouble some our lives i can testify what happened to me this year i had planned to attend a medical university in africa so that i would study i had all my plan sorted out but guess what i didnt get the place it would have been easy for m to blame God and followed what i felt but frm that i learn that CHRISts triumph was in his suffering and i knew regardless of how heavy the cross was i was going to believe for a miracle that meant forgetting all about how i felt and was hopeful things two months later after hearing thhe devasting news of not being accepted i was accepted in a different place and enviroment and am pursuin my medical career if you want something you have never had you should be willing to endure evry bit of the cross becoz you know at the end of the read your dead dreams will be ressurected God will make our deepest pain to be our most glorious blessing
I find it interesting that I would be reading this tonight. I just had a conversation Sunday on this same scripture. I was explaining to my teacher that I was amazed at how God created our body in the form of a cross and in the center of the cross would be where our heart is (the home for the Holy Spirit). Then Jesus dies in the center of a cross. I had mentioned to my teacher without having read this yet....that I carry my cross (my body) with me everyday, it is a reminder to me of what Jesus did for me. Then he read this scripture to me. Amazing!!!
This is about the 4th or 5th time this scripture came to me 2day. Don't know why but at first i did not really understand what Jesus meant when he said, take up your cross and follow me but the 4 of u just cleared it up a lil..thank u so much and pray that God would touch my mind.