Matthew 16: 24Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
Today is the Lord's Day and I am so thankful for the Gospel. I was reminded of that over the course of the weekend. I didn't have the luxury of growing up in a Christian home. More often than not my parents were watching tv and lounging on Sundays. That's just how it was. The grace of the Lord came to me through neighbors who sought to bring me along with them to church. As a result of their pursuit, I came to truly know and sincerely love Jesus Christ. There's a night & day difference between what my life would have been and what it actually is as a result of their love.
There are thousands of children in the world, in the country, in the state, in the city, in your neighborhood, and right next door that share my same story. I am not suggesting that the answer for you is the same as it was for my neighbors growing up, but maybe it is. Maybe their example can inspire the next steps the Lord wants you to take in reaching the lost for Jesus! Such sacrifice and investment in people requires us to live a crucified life. It's too easy to make excuses: "I'm too busy!" "Maybe next month when things slow down I'll...." "I can't do everything!" "Someone else can do it." "I'm tired." I'm not downplaying the validity some of these statements may have in our lives from time to time, but I am challenging us to think about what the Lord may be calling us to consider, to do even for the sake of His kingdom and lost souls.
Thank you for leading women to be more like Jesus! Don't forget that young women really can't get along well without your love turned into action. Perhaps you can take a moment to really pray for the little girls and young women everywhere who need to meet Jesus "At the Cross." This song might be an encouragement to you as you consider these things.
