Drop Eighty-Five

Matthew 16:24

“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.’”(NASB1995).

Emotions can mess with our hearts and minds, skewing the goal to follow Jesus. I could hear the argument within my mind.

“You need to be who God has called and purposed you to be, regardless of how others treat you,” I sense the Holy Spirit’s prompting.

I respond with, “Except when it is my own children that hurt me, right?”

Without hesitation, I sense once again, “You need to be who God has called and purposed you to be, regardless of how others treat you, even those in your family.”

I then recall “The Chosen” and their latest marketing statement, “I only have one thing to do today … Follow HIM.”

The words pierce the outer barrier of my heart and the bitterness within begins to ooze out. I have been the greatest barrier preventing my children from following Jesus. The healing process continues.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the reminder of your sacrifice satisfying the debt of all sinners, including my family, friends, enemies, the whole world, and me. The chasm between sin and grace, pride and humility are bridged only with the work You did on the cross. The words of Romans 12:1-2 encourage us to present ourselves as living sacrifices. May we recommit our lives as often as necessary to truly follow You.

In the name of Jesus,

AMEN