A Thousand Times, Yes!

Mark 8
34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 35 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. 

Lord Jesus--I have heard these word a thousand times and their call remain strong. They are a re-occurring theme that you bring up to me again and again.  There was a time when I thought of this denying as a single choice, but I have come to see that is is a thousand small choices again and again daily.  The choice is lived out in a thousand contexts over time and space.  How do I follow you in this time and this place? What is your way in this choice that confronts me...what is the next good thing that you are calling me to.  Your way is the way of the giving myself away.

Maybe for some people their life course calls for one white hot choice of self sacrifice...I can think of times and places where that has been called for.  So far, my life course has called me to a thousand less dramatic but none the less needed choices spread out over the arc of a life.  For the time being you have called me to live on the corner of Mercy and Hope, so I will stay camped out there for the duration. 

36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?37 For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 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.”

Lord Jesus-The message of the cross is simple...love wins...evil is dealt a death blow not by force but by submission and self sacrifice to the will of the Father.  The way of the cross is at odds with control issues and for that matter any dream or goal other than being honest in living out the call to daily walking with you.  So the journey continues today to make your kind of choices.  I get the message loud and clear, and my answer is: "A  thousand times, Yes!"

Lord Jesus help me to choose well today.  Let all my choices today be poured out as an offering to you.