Brandon and Casey came to the East Coast last week for a conference. We traveled ov
er the weekend to be with them for a few hours before they departed for MO. It was great seeing them both and spending quality time with them. God is doing an incredible work in their lives. They leave for Greece at the end of the month for a mission's trip.Today's IOW quote, "What if I stumble, what if I fall? What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all? Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl? What if I stumble, and what if I fall?"
Chorus from the song, "What if I Stumble?"
Artist: DC Talk
Album: Intermission
This week's IOW is hosted by Miriam at Miriam Pauline's Monologue.
Proclaiming Christianity brings much responsibility. When we profess that we love Christ and our lives are focused on living for Him, people watch what we do.
Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23 NIV)
People are willing to pay a high price for something they value. Is it any surprise that Jesus would demand this much commitment from his followers? There are at least three conditions that must be met by people who want to follow Jesus. We must be willing to deny self, to take up our crosses, and to follow him. Anything less is superficial lip service.
Will we stumble and fall as Christians? Absoulutely! Will we remain crawling or will we pick ourselves up, wipe off the dirt and proceed forward? That decision or choice makes all the difference in the world. There are many challenges that come along with serving Christ but the rewards are incredible! Making the decision DAILY to pick up his cross and follow HIM will determine what choices we make throughout our lifetime as Christians.
I don't worry about failing as a Christian. I am more concerned with doing as much as I can for God before the trumpet sounds or He calls me home. Don't allow the enemy to distract you with worry and stress regarding your walk with Christ. Focus on what God has done for you and what you can do for Him.
Blessings friends! The Lord loves you and has a great work for you.
Thanks for sharing such a great post.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely all about our focus and attitude. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus whether we are in the walking position or crawling. What matters is we do as we told. Take our cross daily and follow Him! Thanks for this thought today it was great.
ReplyDelete"We must be willing to deny self, to take up our crosses, and to follow him. Anything less is superficial lip service." Absolutely! Awesome post my friend. Bless you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLoved the name of your blog, and I'll check back. Can you tell, I'm a fan of JESUS, Chocolate and coffee?
ReplyDeleteIt does take great maturity to NOT worry about falling as a Christian. Especially in ministry. The stakes are so high and the spotlight so bright.
ReplyDeleteBut I'm with you in standing firm that the MOST important thing is doing as much as possible to share the GOSPEL before HE returns or calls us home.
It's not "what if" but "when I"...we all stumble and fall but the grace of Christ is there to lift us back up and brush us off. Our testimony is not in the fall but in the rising again.
ReplyDeleteBTW, looks like you were in my neck of the woods (Nat'l Harbor). I know the Woodrow Wilson Bridge well - pass over it almost every day.
Shalom,
Denise
Thank you for sharing about your visitors and on this quote this week. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteAmen! Great post!
ReplyDelete"People are willing to pay a high price for something they value. Is it any surprise that Jesus would demand this much commitment from his followers?" Well said! I appreciate your focus on "taking up our cross and following Jesus." And yes, we definitely want to do all we can for God's kingdom before He calls us home. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI see that you are hosting IOW next week; Could you tell me which book the C.S. Lewis quote came from? Thank you so much! Many Blessings to you today.
Denise Hughes :)