How far are you willing to go for Jesus?
Luke 9:23 (NIV)- And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
When you tell a lie there is an underlying evil that is attached to it. A little white lie or the lie of omission can send you on a downward spiral so fast, you won’t even notice what’s happening to you.
It takes time and skill. Also, it calls for sacrifice because it is a farce so grand you will think your entire life is a costume party. Then, one has to add lies upon the first main lie to keep it a secret.
Liars are willing to go the distance; they know what it will cost them even when it will hurt. How far are you willing to go?
Just as a liar is willing to go as far as he possibly can to hide a lie, how far are you willing to go for Christ?
Are there parts of your life that you’re not willing to give up? And how far would you go to do a kind deed and share God’s love with others?
Paul was willing to go the distance for Jesus Christ. Before he came to know Jesus, he was busy persecuting and killing Christians. When God got a hold of his life there was absolutely nothing that prevented him from serving God.
Paul went the distance.
He went through shipwreck, stonings, temporary blindness, and even an unknown thorn in the flesh. Despite his endless ailments, he spent many years of his life in prison.
What is the one thing that you don’t want to happen to you? Is there a limit to how far you are willing to go for Christ?
If I had to be honest, I wouldn’t want to go to jail. But what if that is the plan that God has for me? What if the very things in my life that I think is so hard for me to bear are the ways in which God wants to use me?
I don’t know how far I would go and you may not know either but we should be willing to go as far as laying our lives down.
Jesus died for us. He suffered and bleed just so we can go free.
If we were to honestly look at our lives and everything that we have, we would realize just how blessed we are. Every one of us has problems and things that we suffer from but what if you were to look at your neighbor instead of looking at yourself?
We would realize that our problems although huge, are so minuscule in comparison to what others are dealing with. When Jesus told us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves it was for our benefit.
Unity is strength and coming together to pray for one another is added strength. There should be no obstacle or price greater than our pledge to serving God. Just as a liar would rather die or kill before sharing their secret, we should be willing to go the extra mile for God and our neighbors. Not imitating the bad of course but going as far as possible to introduce others to Jesus.
Insight from Scripture
Mark 10:17-22- The rich ruler would only go so far as long as he kept his riches.
2 Corinthians 11:16-30- Paul’s suffering as an apostle of God.
Acts 16:16-40- Paul and Silas in jail.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for what you have done in my life, every single aspect of it, the parts good and bad. I don’t know how far I would be willing to go because I am human but I would gladly lay my life down in obedience to you because you know what is best. Help me to love others and not be self-centered in my pursuits. Help me to shine your light and be a witness to those who are seeking you. Thank you for being my strength during times when I am weak because I can always rely on you to lead and guide me. I am willing to go as far as I can when it comes to sharing your word in Jesus’ name, amen.
It’s up to you
Are you willing to deny yourself daily? This is what the verse calls us to do. In this life, we will have trouble and we are required to bear it all as we seek to be more like Christ? How far are you willing to go for Jesus Christ my sister?
What have you left with today? Let me know in the comments. And share it with a friend.
I love you with the love of Christ.
Keneesha 🙂
