DAILY BREAD OF LIFE

(KJV.)  MATTHEW 10:37-39

(37)  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me:  and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
(38)  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
(39)  And he that findeth his life shall lose it:  and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

ARE WE CROSS BEARERS?

Brethren, in this chapter, when Jesus had called his twelve disciples to follow him, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal sicknesses and diseases; in the text of today, Jesus explained to his disciples, that to be persons of values, with distinguished characters, and great disciples, they will have to leave all worldly possessions behind, including family and love ones, focus entirely on doing his will;  for they cannot function diligently in their callings hanging on to excessive baggage from their past lives or to sacrifice themselves for both areas of duties and responsibilities; for it is written in the scriptures, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24); therefore, to follow Jesus Christ diligently in the faith of his righteousness, and be useful instruments for his glorification;  at times, we have to focus on him alone, be there for him, to be used to minister, preach and serve others; though it may seem like we might turn our backs on friends and family members when they desire our time and presence, when the need arises for us to leave our comfort zones and move forward in our callings for Jesus Christ, we are to trust Jesus Christ, leave all fleshly and worldly possessions behind, take up our crosses and follow him, finish our assignments, receive eternal rewards and crown of glories forevermore.

Case in point, Jesus said, (i)  And he that taketh not his cross, brethren, besides the cross Jesus died on Calvary, what is the believer's cross of today?;  their crosses are their callings, duties and responsibilities in Christ Jesus; though we all believe in him; some believers live their entire lives in doing his will;  these believers, are cross bearers in the body of Christ; for they have dedicated themselves to serve others for Jesus Christ, and live their lives daily by dictates of the Holy Spirit; though all believers are chosen vessels for Christ's glorification, individually they differ in duties and responsibilities in his body, however, Jesus knows those who are dedicated, chosen as vessels for his will on earth, to focus on saving souls from darkness of this world into lights of eternity;  for it is written, "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour; and some of dishonour." (2 Timothy 2:20);  however, believers, at times, refers to unbearable circumstances of life, as crosses we have to bear, but when we refer to the crosses to bear from scripture point of view, these crosses are our service, dedications, duties and responsibilities in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior; therefore, if we are called to bear crosses for Christ, let us be bold, brave, take up our crosses, believe and trust in him;  (ii)  and follow after me,  as dedicated servants of Jesus Christ, when we vow to take our up crosses, we have to follow him diligently and to do his will;  but most of the time, we take time to study the scriptures, to points where we receive certificates and degrees, but when the time comes for us to dedicate ourselves, share wisdom and knowledge with others, from what we have acquired from the scriptures; when the enemy shows up to shake our faith grounds, we give up on Christ, hang up our swords of the spirits entirely in our closets, follow after our own hearts and worldly desires;  may the Lord rebuke the devil!;  if we have given our words to serve Jesus Christ, let us be encouraged today, to follow through with what we have promised to do for righteousness sake; and follow Jesus Christ!;  (iii)  is not worthy of me.  Jesus said if we take up or crosses but refuse to follow him, we are not worthy of him; therefore, regardless of how we feel, let us take up our crosses and follow him today; for it is written, "And Jesus said unto him,  No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62);  however, when we take up our crosses to follow Christ, let us know that there will be reproaches from people to discourage and make us feel worthless; but let us not take reproaches personally but persevere in faith; for they did the same to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, the Son of the Living Father, even on the cross, at the point of his death; humanity reproached him, how much more, we his followers, who the world may think are fanatics but are walking in the righteousness of our Father through Jesus Christ; they will pester with our souls as well, but we will overcome all things with Christ that strengthens us through the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit; Jesus never fails, let us trust and believe in him forevermore.

Brethren, Jesus said, And he that findeth his life shall lose it:  and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.;  the life we currently live in this world, are temporary lives, we are like flowers of the field, we bloom in the mornings but fade away in the evenings; we do not belong to this world, but heaven is our permanent home; and every soul on this earth today is in transition to either heaven's everlasting life or hell's eternal damnation; it up to individual souls to make rightful choices while on this world;  my point of view, what Jesus is saying in this verse of the text is, if we enjoy life without seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness, but follow after evil desires of the flesh, walk in ungodliness until the at ends of our lives; we will lose our souls in hell's damnation,; however, if we give our lives totally unto his will, serve in his righteousness, lose all worldly possessions and fleshly desires, face persecutions and reproaches of men, even to points of martyring; there is still hope in him; and greater rewards awaiting for us in our permanent home, in heavenly places forevermore.

CONCLUSION:

Dearly beloved, let us not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior; and do the work allocated to us in good faith, for there is nothing like lukewarm believers; either we are hot or cold Christians; however, it is better to be hot Christians on our way into life everlasting than to be lukewarm or cold, not knowing who we are or where what our final destinations will be; if the call of Jesus is upon our souls, let us take up our crosses and follow him; we may face adversities from all walks of life, but let us not give up on Jesus Christ our salvation; on this earth, family matters, but when it comes to eternity, all souls are children of one Father, joint heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior; therefore, let us obey our Father, do what pleases him, enjoy his free grace and peace everlasting.  Amen and Amen!

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

(KJV.)  MATTHEW 16:26  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?