Joyful Noise: A Jesus Follower
By Pastor Naomi Mitchell
For Carter County Times
“Will you be remembered as a Jesus Follower? Your legacy is not something to be thought about towards the end of your life, because whether you know it or not, it’s already begun. The good news is that you can start now right where you are to be a Jesus Follower. You can model a faith that will influence the generations that follow you.” – Ann Graham Lotz
If ever there was a generation that needs to know that God desires to have them in a covenant relationship with Himself, to give them peace, joy, hope for the future, it’s this generation, and the next generation, and the next generation. It’s time for the Jesus Followers to stand up and no longer remain silent.
Take Up Your Cross Daily
Luke 9:23-26 says, “And He said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gains the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.“
These verses promise that when you suffer in your flesh, when you take up your cross and deny the sinful thoughts and temptations, etc., that come up in you during the day, you will cease from sinning! And it is not just a promise that will be fulfilled some unknown day far in the future – you see progress as you go. So, you must take up the cross daily.
Bearing Your Cross
“Bearing your cross” means that you are willing to put to death your own will, and to surrender yourself to His will, according to His Word. It means that how you act is important. It means that what you say, and how you say it matters. It’s a challenge to treat the “least” of us as you would Him (Matt. 25:31-46).
Deny Yourself
Used within the context of the imagery of taking up the cross and following Jesus, “denying oneself” conveys the sense of a person disassociating himself from his self-interest to serve a higher purpose. Self-denial is not to deny one’s personality or to withdraw from the world.
To “deny” yourself means to say “no” to yourself and “yes” to God. Paul is not talking about asceticism — forgoing earthly possessions, not eating certain foods, ignoring the world, etc. To say it differently, the process of denial is “to humbly submit my will to God.”
After Jesus commanded cross-bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:25–26). Although the call to take up our cross is tough, the reward is matchless. Nothing in this world is worth passing up eternal life.
Are you ready to take up your cross and follow Jesus? Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your closest friends? Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family? Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your reputation? Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job? Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life? Are you willing to take up your cross? If faced with a choice, Jesus, or the comforts of this life, which will you choose?
Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, and even your very life, if need be, for the cause of Christ. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple (Luke 14:27). The reward is worth the price. Remember that, as Jesus called His disciples to “take up your cross and follow Me,” He, too, bore a cross. Our Lord led the way.
Amen! So be it!
JOYFUL House of Prayer, 2519 Quicksand Road, (P.O. Box 856), Jackson, Kentucky 41339. Send Comments/Prayer Requests: Pastornaomi4god@gmail.com. FB: JoyfulHoprayer. Services: 10am Sunday and Joyful Kids Class at 10:30am, 6:30pm Thursdays. Radio Broadcast: WJSN 97.3 FM & WEKG 81.0 AM Sundays 1-2pm.
