The Word

Cross Bearers

🌟 Scriptures 🌟

Luke 14:25-34

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, 'This person began to build and wasn't able to finish.'31 "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won't he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. 34 "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

Matthew 11:29

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

John 16:33

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

🗣️The Message📜

At most churches and in most sermons we are used to hearing about a God who is fine with us doing what we want as long as we're happy. They use the scripture that says that The Lord will give you the desires of your heart to justify this. People want to serve a God who blesses them in their sin and in their flesh, people want to serve a God who doesn't speak but who grants wishes, but this isn't the God we serve. Our God is living, our God speaks, and our God isn't going to let us continue in a way that He knows leads to our destruction because He is love, true love. Many people get so angry when God tells them to go in a direction that isn't comfortable, people get so mad when God doesn't give them everything they want, but if He did that they wouldn't grow stronger or wouldn't be in God's will. We were made to serve God, we were made to praise Him, and life on this earth was never supposed to be easy or comfortable because this isn't our home. On this earth, we will have trouble, but take heart for God has overcome this world (John 16:33). The enemy is already defeated, all we have to do is submit and let our bodies be vessels for the Holy Spirit. When we submit to God we can overcome the enemy and lead His lost people back to Him, He wants us to be His light on this dark earth. So many people leave the faith and turn away from God because they believed that life is supposed to be easy, but throughout God's Word, it tells us clearly that we will suffer, but in it, we must trust Him, we must lean on Him, we must take His yoke and learn from Him, we must fight with His power so we may overcome and be victorious. I remember growing up I heard many Bible stories and heard about God but it wasn't until I opened the Bible that I learned about Who God really was, a God who made us in His image, a God who wanted us to be just like Him, a God who will never give up on us but who will cling to us, a God who challenges us, a God who loves us unconditionally, a mighty God. I will never forget reading about who Jesus really was, He turned over tables, He put people in their place, He spoke truth, He healed and rebuked, He moved in authority, and He never turned one person away. He said radical things. He showed people everything was possible through Him, but He also told people that they would have troubles, they would have pain, but in Him, they would have peace, in Him, they would have joy, only if they looked to Him, only if they live in His shelter, only if they took His yoke, only if they trusted Him.