Tag Archive | cross

Serving Jesus

Apr21

If anyone serves (is serving) Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves (is serving) Me, the Father will honor him.
John 12:26 NASB

We cannot serve Jesus without following Him. Where He is working is where we will be. Following Jesus, which means surrendering our will to His will. His will is our priority. It is ALL about Him and obeying His will.

And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 10:38 NASB

Jesus relinquished His will to the Father by surrendering His life to fulfill the Father’s plan. All the way to the cross. He gave up His throne. He humbled Himself. He suffered. He died.

Are you ready to pick up your cross and follow Jesus? Relinquish your life no matter what is asked of you, no matter where it takes you?

This relinquishing of life comes with a promise, “If anyone is serving Me, the Father will honor him” and “Where I Am, there will My servant be also.”

🌹 The promise of eternity with God. Wow!!!

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

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Obedience from Suffering

Mar2

Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,
Hebrews 5:8‭-‬9 NASB

The Son of God suffered. The Son of God!!! And yet we expect a perfect, smooth ride through life when we are merely adopted children of God.

He learned obedience from the things He suffered.
This really jumped off the page as I read it. Obedience brings suffering?! That isn’t what we expect, is it? Looking over my life as a child of God I have experienced much suffering. And it was at those times that I was close to God. I cried out to Him in fervent prayer. I grew in my walk. I learned. I was obedient. Thank You, Jesus for Your example. Through suffering You showed us what humble obedience to the will of God looks like.
We need affliction to teach us submission. (1)

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.
Colossians 1:24 NASB

The Christian life is not an easy road. It is not enough to make a profession of faith but not have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. We must heed His Word and obey Him. If Jesus is our Savior, He must also be the Ruler, Prince, of your lives. We must be willing, submissive, to let Jesus reign over us. If Jesus isn’t our Ruler, He isn’t our Savior.

And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Luke 9:23 NASB

🌹Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon


(1) Matthew Henry’s Commentary; BibleGateway.com, passage Hebrews 5:8-9

Jesus Prayed

Jan19

Jesus prayed in the evening:
After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
Matthew 14:23/Mark 6:46 NASB

Jesus prayed in the early morning:
In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
Mark 1:35 NASB

Jesus prayed before choosing the 12 Disciples:
It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.
Luke 6:12 NASB

Jesus prayed at His baptism:
Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,
Luke 3:21 NASB

Jesus prayed at the Transfiguration:
Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
Luke 9:28 NASB

Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsamane:
They *came to a place named Gethsemane; and He *said to His disciples, “Sit here until I have prayed.”
Mark 14:32 NASB

Jesus prayed on the cross:
 “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do”
Luke 23:34
“My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34
“Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit”
Luke 23:46

Jesus taught prayer:
It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”
Luke 11:1 NASB

And Jesus has instructed us to pray:
Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Mark 14:38 NASB

pray without ceasing;
1 Thessalonians 5:17 NASB

🌹But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.
Luke 5:16 NASB

Jesus, the Son of God, often slipped away to pray. How much more do we need to slip away to pray?

Continually Seeking Him, 

Sharon 

Philippians 3:7

Jun28

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Philippians 3:7 NASB

God of overwhelming magnitude. With You eminate joy, peace, contentment, eternity, relevance, life, meaning, love, worth, my very soul. I choose You to follow, love and put You, Lord Jesus, above all others and myself. I deny myself before You and take up my cross and follow as Your disciple. My life has been crucified in You. All that I am is Yours. All that I have is Yours. I have calculated the cost Lord and I choose You!!! For Your sake, Lord Jesus, I give You my life. My life is in You. I surrender all in Jesus name, amen.
Luke 14:26‭-‬28‭, ‬33/Matthew 10:37‭-‬39/Matthew 16:24-25/Mark 8:34-35/Luke 9:23-24

🌹For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 16:26 NASB
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?
For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Mark 8:36-‬37 NASB
For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?
Luke 9:25 NASB

Continually Seeking Him, 

Sharon 

Philippians 2:8-11

Jun10

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:8‭-‬11 NASB

Yesterday’s devotion spoke of the humbleness of Jesus. His grace bestowed upon us. He became poor so we could become rich.

Jesus, my Savior, You are worthy to be praised, for by Your humbleness You brought salvation. What we do see is You, Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels, and because, You suffered death for me and others, You are now “crowned with glory and honor”. Yes, by the grace of God You tasted death for everyone. By this I am humbled, Lord. Out of obedience to the Father You were delivered over to the hands of godless men and put to death, nailed to a cross. For through one man’s disobedience all were made sinners, even so through Your obedience, Jesus, many can be made righteous. For this I am truly grateful. And by Your seeking the will of the Father and not Your own You have shown me what I must do, seek Your kingdom first.
I will fix my eyes on You, Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before You endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sit down at the right hand of the throne of God far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. You are far above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come! In Your glorious, everlasting name I pray, amen.
Hebrews 2:9/Acts 2:23/Romans 5:19/Matthew 26:39/Hebrews 12:2/Ephesians 1:21 NASB

🌹For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Romans 14:9 NASB

Is Jesus your Lord? Your Savior? If not, He can be. The Bible says,
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
Romans 10:9 NASB

Continually Seeking Him, 

Sharon 

Scripture Fulfilled

Apr15

How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”
Matthew 26:54 NASB

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
John 19:30 NASB

And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.
Luke 23:46 NASB

🌹God, we commemorate this day in remembrance and in the hope of resurrection.

Continually Seeking Him, 

Sharon

Freely Given

Apr14

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
John 10:11‭, ‬18 NASB

Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions (= 6000 troops) of angels?
Matthew 26:53 NASB

Lord Jesus, I am astounded, bewildered, overwhelmed by your sacrifice for me. To know that at any time You could have put a halt to this senseless crime against You. But it wasn’t senseless to You. There was and still is a purpose in Your going to the cross. Jesus,  burden my heart for the lost and may I follow in Your footsteps to surrender my will for the sake of the gospel – the salvation of the lost. I will take up my cross and follow You for the sake of the gospel and for Your namesake to the triumphant end. In Your glorious name I pray, amen.

🌹Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:8 NASB

Continually Seeking Him, 

Sharon 

At The Foot of The Cross

Apr13

So much to be learned at the foot of the cross.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Matthew 16:24 NASB

Is Christ asking anything from us that He did not already do?

1. Deny self.
– Jesus gave up His throne for a time:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9 NASB

– Jesus surrendered His will.
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26:39 NASB

2. Take up your cross
– Jesus took the cross for you and me. Should we not take the cross for the sake of the Gospel to the world?
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 10:38 NASB

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:27 NASB

– Should we not be ready to die for the gospel just as Jesus did? Jesus is the gospel.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 16:25 NASB
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.
Mark 8:34‭-‬35 NASB

3. Follow Jesus.
– Following Jesus takes sacrifice just as He sacrificed His life for us, we are to sacrifice our lives for the spread of the gospel.
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 10:37 NASB

“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate (by comparison of his love for Me) his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
Luke 14:26 NASB

So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
Luke 14:33 NASB

🌹Lord Jesus, thank You for the cross. The sacrificial denying of self for my sake, taking the cross to Your death, and showing me what it means to follow You.
God, I do not want to gain anything from this world and forfeit my soul. In this adulterous and sinful world I will stand for You without shame and proclaim Your word, the gospel. I want to stand unashamed when You come Lord Jesus in the glory of the Father with the holy angels. May I be faithful standing on the solid Rock to the very end. In Jesus name, amen.
(Mark 8:36‭-‬38 NASB)

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Cost

Jul12

“However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.”
2 Samuel 24:24 NASB

What are you willing to sacrifice to God? What have you placed on the altar of God?
Your Sunday morning in church? What about the rest of the week?
Your mornings, or a designated time each day, to prayer and Bible reading?
Your time to serve others? In and outside the church.
To praying for and sharing the gospel with your neighbor?
How much are you willing to used by God?

Jesus gave His life.

🌹saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.” And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Luke 9:22‭-‬23 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Witness

Jan12

When they had brought them (the apostles), they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Acts 5:27‭-‬32 NASB

The apostles had witnessed the life of Jesus. They walked with Him, talked with Him, experienced Him and knew He was the Son of God sent to redeem. They were “witnesses of these things”.

But God . . . “has given to those who obey Him the Holy Spirit” who is a witness of these things.

Do you have the Holy Spirit residing in you? Then you are a witness to Jesus’s redemptive power.

🌹What are you doing with the Witness residing in you?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon