Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. – Matthew 10:38-39 (NIV)

Reflect
Have you ever told God or bargained with him about what you will and will not do as a follower of Jesus? How has that worked for you? I told God that I would serve him but not as a pastor. So, I pastored my first church for four years. During that time, I said, “Okay Lord but I am not willing to go to the mission field now that I have a family.” So, following two years of volunteer service in Tanzania you would think that I had learned my lesson. But, no I have not! I’m still learning. Interestingly enough when I was working in the areas that I told God I did not want to work – those were times that I felt totally fulfilled in my work. The work I thought would not fit my lifestyle was not a burden or “a cross to bear” in any way.

If I cling to what I want in life I stand the real chance that I will miss out on the blessings that God has in store for me.

What in our lives do we cling to? The rest of Matthew 10 is about the difficulty and hardship in following Jesus. Are we willing to take up our cross and follow Him? Are we willing to really follow? This is the beginning of discovering myself, discovering Jesus, and discovering life.

Pray
Give me the strength to surrender to your Lordship. I know your love and care for me, and I want to know the blessing of living in your will for my life. Give me the strength to follow you.