[Anglican Devotional 12 March 2023] Topic: Following After Jesus
TOPIC: Following After Jesus
READ: Luke 9: 18-27(NKJV)
And it happened, as He was alone praying, [that] His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
So they answered and said, “John the Baptist, but some [say] Elijah; and others [say] that one of the old prophets has risen again.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”
And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,
saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
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.
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His [own] glory, and [in His] Father’s, and of the holy angels.
“But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”
THE MESSAGE:
The word follow means to accept and go after a path prescribed by another. Today’s passage, shows the conditions for following Jesus. The first condition is to go beyond people’s understanding of Jesus and know Him personally as revealed by God (John 6: 44). This personal revelation of Jesus will lead you to open your heart and invite Him in to become your personal Lord and Master.
Following after Jesus also means living daily like Him in words and deeds. It entails constant private communion with Him even in the public as depicted by Jesus ((Luke 8: 19a). It also entails self-denial and decision to take up your cross daily. This can be summed up as cleaving and conforming wholly to His lifestyle even to the point of sacrificing your will, possessions, time, interests and even your life for Him. You may never experience the in-depth power of God until you have decided to live a life of self denial for Christ. This means that the word of God becomes the final authority in all facets of our life even if it is not convenient, seemingly unprofitable, contrary to our feelings, culture, education, will, popular opinion, experience etc. This requires being helped by the grace of God. To follow Jesus entails a cost but will launch you into the real power and glory of God. Will you follow Him?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please reveal Jesus Christ to me and in me; and give me the grace to follow Him.
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