Skip to main content

Verse of the Week

Image
By
"And whosever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:27 (KJV)
The Message version of the Bible offers this translation:
"One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, "Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one's own self!—can't be my disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple."
I read this verse, and it strikes me, hard, right in the middle of my chest. It's one of the moments in a life in which there is a major decision to make, and it's a decision that will change your life completely. It is a directive that's not for the faint of heart. It's a directive, that if taken, means you know that there is something greater than everyone in your life, that there is something even far more greater than you, and because of this knowledge, you are ready to do the following two things: 1- Follow the Lord because he is greater. 2- Carry your burdens Now, does this mean you must denounce your family? Not be there in times of pain or trouble? Go off in the forest and forget the world altogether? No, but it does mean that you have to be open to God and his voice and to what he wants to do with you through his son, Jesus Christ. It does mean that God is the center of your world. What it also means, which I believe is so awesome and which is not directly stated in the verse, when we follow the Lord with our heart and soul, he is there to help lift our burdens because we believe him capable of doing so. What a mighty, mighty God we serve.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Turning Bad News into a Positive Move for Change

By
I received some news today. The stage was set for it three weeks ago, and today confirmed it. I have diabetes. Out of all illnesses you can get, diabetes has been #1 on my Please, Dear God, not that  list my whole life. I've had great aunts and uncles that had it and saw some of the more extreme effects of it, and wanted nothing to do with it, ever. Three weeks ago, blood work results came back. Sugar was pretty high. My doctor decided to schedule more blood work within a two to three-week span of time. I had that done this past Friday. Today, after smiling and talking with my bestie about my good talk with my dissertation chair, after declaring the completion of my dissertation, after excitedly telling bestie of new writing project; the call came. About the norm in a roller coaster life in which at 1:59 you can be on Cloudy Infinity and at 1:59:10, you can hear the thud and the crack of bones as you fall back to earth. Doctor told me the number was lower, but that
Post a Comment
Read more

In the beginning...

By
Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:2-4 Throughout the course of a lifetime, we go on many journeys. I know I have. Not enough fingers and toes to list every journey that makes up my life. These journeys cause us to question every action, to make choices, to follow paths, to make mistakes, to accomplish goals, to - inevitably - be changed as a result of each journey. In less than two months, I will begin a journey, a new phase in my life, and the preparation for it began a little over a year ago, at a time when I was tired and done with a lot of things in my life; I was sure my life was placed on serious hold. I wanted to be a published &
2 comments
Read more