Matthew 16:24-26 (NLT) Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
I have a friend, who is the late 60's was on a quest to find meaning for his life. It was during the “hippie” era when “Free love,” “sexual revolution” and “flower power” we're the messages that we're being preached. Drugs we're an epidemic and there we're a lot of messed up young people in the United States and in the world. He ended us being a professor at a university in Indiana which immersed him totally into that lifestyle of sin and promiscuity. In his quest to get the ultimate “karma” and to go “back to nature” he quit his job and flew to coast lands of Africa. One night as he was meditating by the ocean naked and watching the sun go down something significant happened in his life. No one was on the the secluded beach and he was miles away from any human contact. As he sat there, chanting his ritual “ohms” he looked down the beach and notice a man was walking up the beach toward him. As the man came closer and closer he noticed that he was carrying a cross over his shoulder that was big enough that he had to drag it behind him. This man came closer and closer toward my friend until he was standing directly in front of him. Without a word – he planted the cross in the sand, walked away to never be seen again. This became his “born-again” experience. He came back to the United States and has served as an evangelist on American Universities and Campuses to this day. The cross has become a religious icon in our day. People wear it around their neck or hang it on their wall but few people understand the significance and importance that it bears upon our lives. The message my friend received that day was the message of what the cross means and the sacrifice that Jesus paid for our sins. Your testimony might not be as dramatic as his but it is just as real. Whenever you realize the price that Christ has paid for your sins by dying on the cross. Whenever you can accept the true meaning of the cross – your whole life will change. I live every day with the cross on my mind and heart. I give thanks to my Jesus for what He has done and is doing for my life. I have accepted Him into my heart and He is my Lord and Savior today. You might end up with many possessions in life but if you don't have Christ in your heart – they all mean nothing. If I gain status and position and don't have Christ – I am nothing. Trust me today... Christ is the ONLY answer and He is the ONLY one who can help you today. I am proud today to say, “Jesus is Lord” of my life. Can you say that about your life? My prayers are that each and every one reading this today would make a stand for Christ and not be ashamed of what He has done and is doing in your life today.
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