Daily Devotion (November 13, 2024)
Luke 9:23 (NKJV)
23Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Matthew 16:24 (NKJV)
24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Mark 8:34 (NKJV)
34When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
John 12:25–26 (NKJV)
25He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
Romans 12:1 (NKJV)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
God created us for His pleasure and purpose. Experiencing the fulness of life is not found in living for the world but in living for God. The world promises us all the pleasures of life but in the end, it can only give death.
Had Adam and Eve listened to God they would have spent eternity in The Garden. They did not listen to God but to Satan. We too follow in the footsteps of our first parents. We must place priority in following Christ and not the ways of the world. If we love the world then we lose God. Paul urges us to present ourselves to God as a “living sacrifice” that is holy (separated from the world). We are to live our lives in self-sacrifice, denying ourselves of the things that are not of God. Living our lives for Jesus, self-sacrifice is a daily way of life requiring dedication and renewal.
We are not to live our lives for temporary gain but for the eternal rewards promised by God. Living for Jesus requires a deep commitment to following Him and living in a way that honors Him. It is a commitment, a desire to serve Him in all aspects of life. It involves sacrifice that leads to internal joy and peace. We learn to follow God through the power of His Holy Spirit.