Monday 30 Apr 2012

Monday Reading: Matthew 16:21-27

Key Verse: Matthew 16:24
24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Devotion:
There are many positions in life that we sign up for without fully preparing ourselves for what lies ahead and being a Christian seems to be one of those that so many people just do not think about. When Christ showed us all that He was willing to do because of His amazing love for us, it was not just to lift Himself up and glorify Himself and God the Father but also to show us that there are going to be things in our lives that we do not like but we may still have to face up to them.

Many types of work require an extraordinary input from the people in those positions; one such vocation being serving your country. When you join a service to serve your country, be it fighting for your country in the army or trying to save civilians as a police officer, you are putting your life on the line for others. You accept that as part of your job even if you have second thoughts after facing the real danger that you never thought would come to you, you still face that danger. What we do when we face that danger is what counts.

Christ was trying to tell His disciples about some of the things that He would have to face over the next short while before He was crucified. The disciples did not want to accept that because, after all, He is Christ! But Jesus did not play it down not boast about what He should have to face. Instead, He told them the truth and that they would have to accept what would happen because it was right in God’s eyes and it was what God wanted.

When we face some difficult decisions as to whether we should be doing what we think would be best for us or to follow on what God is asking of us, we often crumble at the thought of what may lie ahead. We try to seek some way in which we can hold off the things that we don’t like so that we can continue enjoying the things that we do like. When we do that we are giving in to the very things that God wants to take out of our lives. God does not want us to build up an earthly kingdom that we can enjoy for as long as we live but rather to aim at building up heavenly rewards that will last for eternity. What use is a reward on earth that has a ‘shelf-life’ when we are destined for an eternal life with God?

Points to Ponder:
Do you like to build up treasures for yourself?

Are you ignoring the treasures that God wants you to build up with Him?