Daily Scripture Threshing for Friday, December 15, 2023
Today’s Text: Matthew 16:21-26
Key Verse: Matthew 16:24 (NKJV): “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.””
To a natural man, the words of our Lord in today scripture is like when you go to a financial expert, and he tells you that in order to save for your future, you must spend all your earnings. Isn’t that ridiculous?! Or, let’s say, you consult a dietician, and they tell you to eat as many cheeseburgers as you can in order to lose weight. I bet you’d say those experts just don’t make sense. Except you understand the ways of the Spirit, today’s Jesus’ admonition can sound like that.
However, the Bible makes it clear that, in the economy of heaven, to find true life with God, we must give up our life for him. This is what being a disciple of Christ implies. We’d look away from the way of the world — it’s culture of sensuality, hyper-individualism and self-interest. The world thinks you’re crazy if you can’t just do what is good for yourself first. They teach you it is you or no one. But following Jesus is doing what He wants, not what we want. It means relying on His strength and power, and not ours. It means putting His mission and purpose above our ambitions and goals. It means humbling ourselves.
Friends, this is naturally hard to do. Like earliest disciples, we might not always get it right. But that is the whole essence of following Jesus. All we need to do is listen closely for Him to guide us; know His Word and what it means for our lives; seek His counsel each day; and by so doing, we’d be on our way, following the Master.
Quote for the Day: Following others is a risk; but following Jesus leads to life that’s worth the risks.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for seeking to have me in Your company all the time. Your love for me is incredible. Please help me Lord to deny myself and follow you in everything I do — in Jesus’ name. Amen.
With all my love and prayers,
Rev Simon Wale Olatunji, Ph.D.
Your Darling Bishop (DaBishop)
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[Daily Scripture Threshing is a devotional guide of The House of Prayer Evangel Church USA distributed for free use by individuals, small groups, families, and Christian churches]
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