Scripture: Mark 8:34
After calling the crowd together with his disciples, Jesus said to them, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me.”
Thought for the Day: John Bunyan, best known for the book The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678), offered these words:
You have not lived
until you have done something
for someone who can never repay you.
Those words should challenge us all, for they suggest that life is found in giving it away. For parents, this idea is very real. So many new parents have described themselves as selfish and self-centered until their first child came along. Suddenly, the old self-serving priorities were put aside as one began living for the sake of this new gift. Yet it moves beyond just parenting. As followers of Jesus, the one who gave himself fully for the sake of others, we hear his calling to follow by taking up our own cross. At times, it might feel heavy and burdensome. So much so, we’ll want to put it down and walk away. Then a moment will come along; a moment described so beautifully by John Bunyan; a moment when we begin to truly live in the act of giving ourselves away.
Prayer: I want to live like Jesus. Be my strength and encourager, Gracious God, as I strive to follow his lead, taking up the cross and living my life by giving it away. Amen.
Sunday’s Sermon
