Come, Serve, Follow

The reading this morning was from Mark 8:34-38

This morning was a special service to dedicate a special little girl, the COs youngest daughter, Hannah Rose Lupis, and the message was brought to us by her grandmother who also did the dedication.

The slogan "From little things big things grow" is quite well known in this part of the world. Advertisers use slogans to catch our attention.

Jesus also used many slogans during His time on earth. One of them being "take up your cross, deny self and follow me".

Carrying our cross is something that most (if not all) of us don't really want to do, and few of us really understand what it actually means. Carrying your cross was the last act before being crucified in Jesus' time and not something that people volunteered to do, yet Christ asks this of all His followers.

Carrying your cross in this sense doesn't mean carrying a physical cross. It means stepping out of your comfort zone for Christ. Quite a few people would die for Christ (and many have) but are we prepared to live for Him? To die for Christ is the easier option.

Society teaches us to indulge ourselves. Denying ourselves means living for Christ. The best way to give up an addiction is to focus on something else. God wants us to focus on Him.

Following Jesus is a pleasure because we are following the best. Going to church is where we learn how to follow Him.

Richard.