August 10, 2021
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
~Luke 9:23~
Surrendering is not easy. It takes a strong will power to say "I will give this all to you."
Jesus came into this world by birth as a newborn babe. The Father had big plans for Him to save the world. God has a will behind everything He speaks into creation. Jesus Christ had a will to follow. He chose to do just that, He made the decision to obey God's plan for Him. As humans we are naturally the type that insist on taking control of a situation so that we know exactly what will happen next. We don't care for suprises and we dont like to wonder if something will come to be. We enjoy immediate response and understanding and we can't bear to be patient at times. It is just human instinct. I am guilty of this myself.
There is a major role in surrendering ourselves to God, Jesus Christ modeled it very perfectly; "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."
(Philippians 2:8)
Jesus went to the cross for that was the Father's will for Him. He made the decision to sacrifice all He was for us to become free through Him. He took up His cross, literally dragging it up a hill and laying down upon it to be nailed to it. The message of the cross is the will of God; "Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (Matthew 16:24)
Some people believe "taking up our cross" signifies things like putting up with a stubborn family member or working a long job to pay off bills but in all actuality the cross itself is the message of obedience. It is taking up the Father's will for our life. When we do this we may lose close ones, we may become rejected, we may go through intense pain. The message of the cross is loving with our whole heart enough to trust following Jesus' lead. Sometimes in doing so He will ask us to step way outside of our human comfort zone and do things we really do not want to do. Our flesh will fight yet our spirit will want to listen.
"though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered." (Hebrews 5:8)
We learn a lot from pain. We grow closer to the Lord and we understand the cross in a much more personal way. This is what we are called to do. As we align to the Lord's will for us we really begin to carry that cross. Pain may come, weariness may set in and mockery may threaten us. Take joy my friends, glory is always on the other side. Just as Jesus laid down, was nailed and mocked; He saw what was to come beyond it. He saw Himself sitting beside the Father in Heaven and we can mirror that same hope;
"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)
As we strive to follow Jesus let us surrender to all that He calls us to do. Sometimes it will be a fight or make us feel uncomfortable but I promise it will all be worth it in the end. Jesus was faithful in surrendering and now look at what we have because of His obedience. God is on the look out in these last days for more obedient children to stand by the Lord in faith and say "Your will be done."
Prayer:
Father God, I am thankful for the obedience of Your Son. I am grateful for the cross that He endured. I pray that I may grow in the knowledge of what You need for me to walk in to fulfill my purpose for being here. Fill me with strength, self control and remind me each day how I need to surrender. I ask for these areas which I am struggling to give to You be highlighted in my life so I may learn from You and take Your yoke upon me. I know You walk beside me, fight for me and bring blessings into my life. I am willing and I am ready. Teach me Lord. I am praising You for great obedience and I will take up my cross and follow. Let a pure alignment be done to me through Heaven. In Your faithful Name, Jesus Christ. Amen.