Of course, no one would choose death, everyone wants to live! But do you know what constitutes life? On this second day of our Journey with Jesus, the Word of God call us to reflect on Self-denial and Sacrifice as a necessary quality one must possess in order to journey with the Lord otherwise attachments to worldly pleasures will make one grow weary and backslide. For this very reason, before you take the first step, Jesus calls you to agreement: make your choice between following after me or going your way. Following after me leads to life but going your way leads to death.
Why is this agreement necessary now you ask me? Why must I take a decision about a journey I rarely know the outcome? But you just chose life, are you afraid of the unknown? Now listen, whether you are afraid or not, it is necessary to take this decision now because the bible says in Amos 3 verse 8: can two travel together without first agreeing? The answer is No! Now Jesus presents his terms and conditions, in Luke 9: 22-25 the bible says:
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’ Then to all he said: ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?’
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
Child of God, you are a special disciple of Jesus, therefore he tells you the secret of his mission as a suffering Messiah, you are also among his many followers so he gives you the condition of following: renounce yourself, take up your cross every day and follow me. This is the way of life, goodness and prosperity, there is no other. It is this way Moses in Deuteronomy 30:15 points to his people-the Israelites when he admonished them to obey the commandment of God and live, otherwise they perish!
Be wise, make right choices of your actions today and experience what it truly means to live, to be blessed and to prosper. Pray the lord to guard your heart to make the right choices: Say now: Jesus, I surrender to you, direct my thoughts, my words, and my actions, Amen.
Amen. 🙏🏾 Thanks for sharing Fr
God bless you. Please share