7-9-2022

Good Morning!    

            Mark 8:34; “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

      The other night when our whole family was home, the grandchildren were wrestling with their fathers/uncles. Pillows flying, bodies tossing, squeals galore. The two boys were satisfied to launch into the pile, but our youngest granddaughter was trying to plan and plot. She kept telling, “guys!! I have a great idea!”  No one was really listening to her, but she was persistent. Finally, there was a little lull in the action, and she yelled, “Guys! I have an idea, follow all of me!” Then she ran into the hallway.

    “Follow all of me!” It got a pretty good snicker out of the rest of the adults. But there is a certain amount of truth in that statement. Jesus tells us essentially the same thing, “follow all of me.” Do we follow “all of me” or do we pick and choose? Many will read the Bible and the try and pick and choose what they choose to believe or follow.  It is as if we think that we have that right or that power. “I will follow the teaching about caring for the poor, but only to a certain level, only if “I” think they are worthy, and only if it is convenient for me.” Or we pick and choose when we support some teachings at some of the time but not when it might be inconvenient or uncomfortable. “Follow all of me.” Sometimes we truly struggle with even following “part of me” let alone, “all of me.”

    Yet Jesus calls upon us to do this very thing. But rather than seeing this as a command, we should see it as the logical next step. It tells us that we cannot follow both. We cannot have one foot following Jesus and one foot following the world. If we attempt this, we will fall and fail. Jesus is telling us, we are either all in or all out; there is no partway, there is no “some of the time” or even “most of the time;” we must be “all the time.” Will we make it? No, we will not.

    So how are we saved? We are saved by God’s grace and God’s grace alone. We are not saved by how well we keep the Law, when we think we can do this, we fail. Rather, we cling to the cross of Jesus as our only hope, I will fail on my own power or skill, but the Holy Spirit will succeed. So, we trust Jesus and His power not our choices or desires, but His Word and His Word always points to pure love. If it doesn’t, we need to look a little harder because we are missing something. God desires all to be saved, all to come to know his peace, hope and eternal life with Him. Study the Scriptures, spend time reading and hearing what God tells us is the right way to live, the right way to express our joy at our own salvation. This is found only when we “follow all of me” and walk with Jesus all the way.

Gracious Father, lead me that I may follow. Keep my heart focused on Jesus. Help me to hear Jesus’ words of love that I may live as You desire. Let me show love to those who are hurting and lost. Help me to bring comfort to the broken, consolation to the sorrowful, and bring the light of Your hope to all who are lost. Strengthen us we pray. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret