Following Jesus Today

Following Jesus Today
Mark 8:34 

"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

A CHOICE TO FOLLOW HIM

"If anyone would come after me" is a choice. We are not forced to do this. It is an invitation from the God-Man Jesus. He said, "if" - it is an open option for everyone. 

However, following Him requires deep commitments. Shallow and deep skin transformations will not suffice.  What Jesus requires is a change from within, a transformed life that will bring out a total change in life. 

To follow Him, the following are necessary;

1. Self denial. We have to put God First and put self last. 

We are naturally self seekers. Hindi lang mapasalamatan dahil sa ginawang mabuti...tsk, nagtampo. Hindi nabisita ng pastor, umalis sa church. Hindi nabati, nagalit. 

The true rival of God in the seat of our hearts is OURSELVES. And self engrandizement will definitely result to PRIDE.

By denying ourselves, we are directed by the Lord Jesus to make God the most important priority of our lives. 

Spiritual Disciplines to Deny Self. 

a. Fasting - fasting will train a Christian to deny self by taking control of any cravings from material things, food and money. 

Fasting is an excellent way of putting God first. Food and insecurities will vanies as we learn to trust God, instead of trusting on food and things. 

b. Simplicity - living simple lives is an important spiritual discipline practiced by John Wesley. Jesus even had no pillow to rest His head. 

By living a simple life, Christians can avoid wordly attractions. This will lead us to love God more than anything else. 

2. the second thing that the Lord Jesus requires in following Him is to CARRY our cross. 

The cross symbolizes suffering. People becomes so uneasy when it comes to suffering. What we are looking for is ENJOYMENT! We are always looking for FUN! 

But the invitation to carry our crosses means, 

1. We have to carry the mission of our Lord even to the point of DEATH. 

2. We are called to a serious duty of bringing the Good News of our Lord to people at any cost. 

Therefore, becoming a Christian is to follow Jesus by leaving ourselves behind and putting God first and His will. 

We are called to a serious business of carrying the mission of Christ to the world even at the cost of facing the Cross. 

Do you really want to follow Christ then?