Follower part 2
I think one of the most important keys when it comes to reading--and interpreting--the Bible is finding ourselves in Jesus, and finding Jesus in Him. That way, when we totally identify with Him, it's a lot easier to understand verses like Matthew 16:24, "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Because as far as I'm concerned MY cross doesn't really get me anywhere. And, listen, I know we all have our crosses to bear. Things we have to take up and carry, so to speak. But look at Matthew 27:32 (NLT), "Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross." When Jesus was on the way to Golgotha the soldiers forced Simon to carry HIS cross. And, in a sense, THAT'S what it's all about. Understanding that our cross IS His cross. We were crucified with Christ, right? When He was lifted up on the cross He drew us all into Himself. Trying to go through what we have to go through on our own--trying to act like Jesus--isn't ever going to get the job done. But understanding that He has already gone through it... being of good cheer because He has overcome the world, and understanding that because He already overcame we don't NEED to overcome... allows us to bear whatever it is. Learn from it and grow from it. Let me say it another way. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Revelation 12:11). Overcame. In the past tense. Because it is finished. Because OUR testimony is really HIS testimony. Not what we (try and fail to) do for Him, but what He did for us and as us! Being a follower of Christ requires us to "deny ourselves and take up our cross." But what that means is to stop trying to be someone we're not and just be who we really are. Deny "ourselves" and embrace HIM as our true selves! Take up "our" (HIS) cross and follow Him by walking in love. Not trying to act like anything or anybody, but letting the love that fills us to overflowing flow out of us naturally. Stop trying to overcome every little thing you come up against, and start resting in the glorious truth that He already overcame it. For you and AS YOU. Which means YOU already overcame it. The ONLY fight left is the good fight of faith. BELIEVING the truth that there's nothing left to fight about. God won. LOVE won. So instead of trying to earn something that can't be earned by trying to follow in foot steps that are too big for us... we need to just come to the understanding that as He is, so are we in this world. That we can do all the works He did AND GREATER works because He lives in us. Because He's the One doing it. He's just using our hands and our feet and our mouths to do it. It's not what I can do FOR Him. It's what He can do in, and through, and as me! Denying myself and taking up His cross is about the death of the old and the birth of the new. Letting go of who we thought we were and embracing who we really are!