“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38, NASB)

As I continue this year’s Lenten journey, and as I observe what is happening in America and within the American church, one thing seems clear to me: Jesus’ message would seem very foreign to much of modern American Christianity. Many Christians and churches have merely adopted the secular worldview of American culture, perhaps rejected a few more blatantly unacceptable elements thereof, and baptized the rest of it in biblical jargon.

Jesus calls us to deny ourselves. We claim the right to find self-fulfillment and to boost our self-esteem through the Gospel.

Jesus calls us to take up or cross and follow Him. We welcome the opportunity to follow Him, but to take up a cross? No thank you, I have too much faith to take up a cross: I rebuke that cross! Get behind me, Satan!

Jesus tells us we should lose our lives for the sake of the Gospel in order to find it. We have decided that Jesus offers us “your best life now.”

Throughout the New Testament, we are called to join our lives with Christ’s. St. Paul says frequently that we are “in Christ” (as well as having Christ in us). He took up a cross: We carry a cross, because we are in Him. Our assurance of resurrection is tied to that cross.

Jesus offers eternal life to us, but many times we hang on to the life to which we have grown accustomed. We are afraid to step out in real faith, walking in His footsteps, since that is only natural when He lives in us.

The life Jesus offers is beyond what we can request or imagine. The opportunity to enjoy its full blessing demands that we lay down our old life and boldly follow Him in faith.

This post was written as part of the Scripture Sabbath Challenge.

This post copyright © 2016 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.