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A Prayer to Give up All
By Alicia Searl
“Then Jesus mentioned to his disciples, ‘Whoever needs to be my disciple should deny themselves and take up their cross and comply with me.’” – Matthew 16:24
I typically take into consideration what it should have been prefer to stay within the days of Jesus. Much more, what it should have been prefer to encounter Jesus nose to nose, witness the miracles, contact His cloak, or higher but, be certainly one of His followers or beloved disciples.
The non-public relationships that Jesus constructed with every of His disciples is actually touching. The gorgeous factor is that we get to expertise all of it and may virtually hear their conversations and interactions as we learn via every account within the New Testomony. Jesus’ teachings weren’t solely intimate as He gathered the disciples round and shared knowledge and fact with such love and style, they had been additionally a direct message to us as properly!
But, among the classes should have been tough to listen to and perceive, simply as we battle to learn and decipher His Phrase as we speak. I particularly consider the verse famous above as an example. We see parallel verses in Mark and Luke, the place Jesus is informing the disciples that in the event that they want to comply with Him, they need to deny themselves and take up their very own cross.
Jesus has reminded the disciples of the value they’ll pay for following Him. The associated fee is denial of self and to bear their very own cross. That is the value all of us should pay after we search to comply with Jesus and absolutely give up our lives to the one and solely God. So, what precisely does that appear like?
First, we’re referred to as to disclaim ourselves. Meaning to disown our personal pursuits, wishes, and pure tendencies and change them with what God loves and honors. It’s primarily a mindset shift that chooses and craves to be extra like Jesus – His perspective, His mannerisms, His faithfulness.
Second, we’re referred to as to take up our personal cross. The cross was a daring instrument of execution in Jesus’ day. It was meant for ache and torture together with public humiliation. As followers, we have to be prepared (and prepared) to bear struggling and disgrace. That’s as a result of this world will mock, ridicule, reject, and torment those that declare Christ as Lord.
Lastly, we’re to comply with Him by surrendering all. Jesus is the direct entry and path to a superb, righteous, and ample life past this one (John 14:6). Once we comply with His approach, fact, and life examples, we absolutely give up our lives to Him and search His will and approach.
So, we should ask ourselves, are we surrendering all to Christ with a view to comply with Him?
Let’s pray:
O Lord, we come to You with such grateful hearts. You might be such a superb and gracious Father. You present us methods wherein to stay this life with the reassurance of some many valuable guarantees. You inform us You’ll give us power, relaxation, and look after every of our wants. We all know after we place our belief in You that You’ll work every little thing out for good (Romans 8:28).
We humbly submit ourselves to You, Lord and search Your face. We give up our coronary heart, thoughts, soul, and bodily physique all to You. We ask that You give us a way to hunt after Your coronary heart and the plan and objective You’ve for our lives. Align our wishes and keenness to Your passions and permit us to be formed and molded to be an increasing number of like Jesus.
Grant us power to bear the cross and enough energy to withstand the evil methods of this world. Please forgive us the place we fail and cave beneath strain, whereas providing us the braveness to combat the on a regular basis battles. Be in our midst via every scenario, displaying us areas in our lives the place we will enhance and produce glory to Your holy identify.
Information us to the righteous path the place we humbly step out in religion, searching for Your approach, absorbing the reality present in Your Phrase, and absolutely surrendering our lives over to You. We give all of it to You, our strengths and weaknesses, our hopes and goals, our need for approval and acceptance. Assist us say “sure” to You alone, Lord.
We wholeheartedly need to comply with You. We love you, Lord. In Jesus’ identify, amen.
Photograph credit score: ©GettyImages/Boonyachoat
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