We all suffer. And we all are going to suffer in one way or another for following Jesus. But, we should be careful not to suffer when we are not really suffering. “I know some people who do that.” Charles … Continue reading Don’t Make Your Life One Continual Groan…
One of the best ways to describe what it means to be a Christian is to be a slave of God. Now we don’t always think of it like that. I was reading a book by Michael Card, and he … Continue reading Slaves…
I have been thinking lately about how amazingly easy it is to mess up your life. I was actually reading through a memoir of the son of a godly missionary, and the truth is the memoir was so sad. Distortions, slander, gossip, etc. I had to put it down, hopefully not to pick it up again. It is pretty obvious he had truly godly parents and yet from my perspective he’s turned out to be a fairly bitter man. I mean, even for an unbeliever…to write a memoir in which you tear apart your parents in order to make a … Continue reading It’s not hard to mess up your life…
I started thinking the other day of reasons the way Jesus denied himself for me is so much greater than any way I might ever deny myself for him. I’ve got three that came to mind right away, maybe you have some more to add to the list. 1.) Denying myself for God makes sense because He’s God. I am a creature, He is the Creator. There is an infinite distance between God and me. Anytime I deny myself for Him that makes sense. God though, He is worthy in and of Himself to be served. He is the … Continue reading On Self-Denial
It’s impossible to follow Christ without a radical, wholehearted commitment to deny self. Though that runs contrary to everything our culture tells us, we as Christians must constantly remind ourselves and each other that we can not truly follow Christ without saying no to ourselves. I say that for a number of reasons: I say it because following Christ means calling Him Lord. And calling Him Lord means saying He gets to call the shots, and saying He gets to call the shots means you don’t, and you not calling the shots requires self-denial. I say it because the purpose … Continue reading Saying No to Me
Joshua Mack 