DAY 3: REPRESENT
Take Up the Cross and Follow Him
Luke 9:23-24
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross [a]daily, and follow Me… 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it…
9:23: TWO THINGS: (1): Each of us must take up HIS OR HER CROSS: The burden in this world is different for each of us, and each of us have been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for his or her own salvation and also the salvation of those around them: (2): The cross is to be taken up DAILY: Commitment to following our Lord and Savior is not to be a one-time event: Instead it is the continual practice of faith and obedience, even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the entire world!!!
Small Reading from The Chosen 40 Days with Jesus …
1: Do you find it difficult to share your testimony??? Why or why not??? I used to find it difficult to share when I first came to Christ, I’m not one for pushing my lifestyle on others … I have always been someone who stayed to himself, and sometimes I’m taken out of context … Most people find me to be intimidating, but I’m not … Now being in Christ, I find myself sharing my testimony and just being myself, but being that new creation in Christ … Christ has given me the confidence to approach others better and more patiently …
2: Be Real: Who or what do your words most represent??? Before my enlightenment with Christ my words only represented myself … Being the new creation in Christ my words now represent God and with the rest of my life along with my actions I want to ensure I work hard to make sure I’m also representing the Lord, Christ our God …
3: Moving forward, what can you say that focuses more on the “AFTER CHRIST” portion of your testimony than the “BEFORE CHRIST” portion??? I drive on because those who look back aren’t fit for the Kingdom of God … My advice keeps trucking along the path of Christ, just don’t be a hearer of spiritual words, but a doer of good deeds a true pursuer of faith …
Prayer Focus:
Thank God for how He’s transformed you, repent of any times you’ve represented Jesus poorly, and ask Him to be part of how you tell your story …
Close out evening Prayer …
Pray Romans 12:2: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God …
A FAITHFUL relationship to God changes our relationship to the world...To be CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD is to stand for and pursue the world's values and pleasures: MIND- (Greek- nous) here is more than the intellect; it is the highest faculty of human nature, encompassing the mind and heart...With this faculty one sees and comprehends God...
νοῦςnoûs, nooce; probably from the base of G1097; the intellect, i.e. mind (divine or human; in thought, feeling, or will); by implication, meaning:—mind, understanding. Compare G5590.
In Christ - Love Jared W . Campbell
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