'Self-denial' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” vs. 24 Matthew 16:24-28 It must have appeared to the disciples that Jesus had performed a classic “bait and switch” on them. They had begun to follow him because they believed him to be the messiah, the one who would restore Israel to its former glory. As his initial followers then, they seem to have felt…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 16:24-26 … “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” vs. 24 Jesus did not consult a marketing expert when he began his historic mission in the towns and villages of Galilee. If he had, he would have been told that self-denial is not the way to attract followers. It just doesn’t work! Which is why contemporary Christian leaders have largely abandoned any…
Daily Devotions: March 10, 2019
March 10, 2019 For full passage click: Luke 4:1-13 …“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.” vss. 1-2 Our forty days of Lent are intended to replicate the time Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism. It may even be…
Daily Devotions: September 16, 2018
September 16, 2018 Mark 8:31-38 …“He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” Being a follower of Jesus in the first century often meant enormous sacrifice and risk. Believers were quite literally putting their lives on the line. At the very least, their commitment would mean estrangement from family and community. We live in a country where following…
Daily Devotions: September 9, 2018
September 9, 2018 Mark 7:31-37 …“Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it.” vs. 36 Mark frequently reminds his readers that Jesus often told people to keep quiet about his healing ministry, but there’s never an explanation for the secrecy. As a result, there has been enormous debate about what is known as Mark’s “messianic secret.” Some have said that Jesus was simply applying reverse psychology. He knew…