MATTHEW 10:38

 Grace and peace!

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

(Matthew 16:24-25)

We are in a globalized world where we follow in the footsteps of the influencer, in the footsteps of fashion, where we follow in the footsteps of what people will say, of fear, But how much does it cost us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Who wants eternal life? We all want eternal life, we want to sit in heavenly places, sit at the table and share in the marriage feast of the Lamb, so why is it so difficult for us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, if He is the direct bridge to the father?

There is no other way, no matter how much we have studied other philosophies or sciences, no matter how well we are and how successful we are in this world, this is not the way to achieve eternal life, the way is Jesus, said Jesus in John 14:6 “ Jesus said to him: I am the way, the truth, and the life; No one comes to the Father except through me.”

To follow in Jesus' footsteps is to be willing to follow in his footsteps on the path to Golgotha, it is to be willing to sacrifice yourself, to die in his name. The disciples followed Jesus for three long years and saw wonderful things, they followed in his footsteps, but when Jesus was on his way to Golgotha, how many of his disciples followed him? Judas sold him and handed him over, Peter denied him, the others dispersed, only John was present with Mary at the crucifixion. You know, following in Jesus' footsteps towards Golgotha is not easy.

If we want to be his servants, we have to abandon our own way of life. Jesus confronts us, perhaps there is a lot of emotion in our spiritual life, we are seeing miracles and surprising things, but Jesus asks us: do you really want to be my disciples? So, abandon your old way of living, change the direction of your life, transform your thoughts, your emotions, think differently, take up your cross and follow me.

Taking up the cross and following Him is not easy, but it will bring salvation to our lives and our homes. This cross is worth carrying. Golgotha means giving up what distances us from Jesus, it means sacrificing ourselves, it means changing friends if they separate us from Him, Golgotha means that we will often suffer in our walk with Jesus, but this ends up leading us to eternal life.

Let us pray:

Lord, help me to fulfill and obey your will, it is not easy to follow you, sometimes it is difficult for me to leave comfort, simplicity, which implies less sacrifice, but today you teach me that I must follow you even when I am on the way to Golgotha, take up my cross, suffer for the gospel and renounce everything that distances me from You. In the name of Jesus, amen.

''Blessed All Week! Good Morning, 120/366, in the Presence of the Eternal.

Psalm 27:1 - The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Meditate on the 14 verses of this Psalm).

In this Psalm we see David, although very busy with his

enemies, even more concerned about God, and finding in Him all his satisfaction.

Like David, we can say that The Lord is our Light, our Salvation, and our Fortress, and that puts an end to fear.

Like David, we can ask God for strength, approval, direction, and protection. Like him, we need to see the Beauty of The Lord in Times where Everything seems to be falling apart around us, with so much perversity. By placing our heart on God, we can see His Beauty that is revealed in His Gospel of Grace; a Gospel that is simple in its acceptance, profound in its reach, so infinitely beautiful in its purity, love and grace, that it enriches, ennobles and beautifies the lives of all who surrender to the Christ of the Gospel. The Beauty of God is manifested in All His Majesty in the Person of Christ. The Lord is Light, he is Fortress, he is a Refuge, he is a Father to the helpless and a deliverer from enemies. God bless you.''

(in the Love of God, Eliene)

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, the apostle Paul emphasizes the idea of ownership and sanctity of the human body from a Christian perspective. Using the Strong's Bible for deeper analysis, we find that key words like "body" (σῶμα, sōma), "temple" (ναός, naos), and "habits" (οἰκέω, oikeō) are crucial to understanding the context and the message.

"Body" (σῶμα, sōma) in this context does not refer only to the physical structure, but rather to the entirety of the human being, including physical, mental and spiritual aspects. When Paul says that the body is the "temple" (ναός, naos) of the Holy Spirit, he uses a word that in the ancient Greek and Jewish context referred to a sacred place of worship and divine abode. This implies sanctity and immense value attributed to the human body, seen as the place of residence of God himself through the Holy Spirit.

The expression "who dwells in you" (οἰκέω, oikeō) reinforces this idea of permanence and divine possession, indicating that God is not a temporary visitor, but someone who takes up residence and lives continually within believers.

Thus, when Paul says "you are not your own," he is emphasizing the notion that believers were bought with a price, referring to Christ's sacrifice. This concept establishes a property relationship where the believer belongs to God, not only as a creation, but also as redeemed or purchased, reinforcing the idea that the believer's life must honor God, respecting the body as a sacred temple.

We must consider how we are treating our bodies and our lives. Are we living in a way that honors God, recognizing that we do not belong to ourselves but to Him? This involves caring for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, and living in a way that reflects the sanctity and divine ownership of our existence.

 2 Peter:3

9. The Lord does not delay his promise, although some consider it slow; But he is patient with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt on fire, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

12. Waiting for, and hastening, the coming of the day of God, in which the heavens, in fire, will dissolve, and the elements, burning, will melt?

13. But we, according to his promise, look forward to new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

 

The greatest treasure

Proverbs 20:21

Desirable treasure and oil are in the house of the wise, but the foolish man devours them. He who follows justice and benevolence will find life, justice and honor.

Matthew 7:8

For everyone who asks receives; what he seeks, he finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

The greatest wealth we can have in our homes and in our lives is the presence of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is greater than any and all treasures, more estimable than the rarest precious stones. God's presence in our lives makes us achieve the unattainable through his grace. He meets all our needs, fills every void. Not because we are worthy of this love and kindness, but because He is the good shepherd and gives his life for his sheep.

John 10:11 I am the good Shepherd; the good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep.

John 6:50:51 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that whoever eats it will not die.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if anyone eats this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world

 

Romans 6:16 Don't you know that you become slaves to what you choose to obey? They can be slaves to sin, which leads to death, or they can choose to obey God, which leads to a life of righteousness.

QUOTE FROM THE POST: YOU ARE A SLAVE TO EVERYTHING THAT YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO GIVE UP.