If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 

Jesus never told his disciples to charge up ahead of him and face the opposition head on. That would have been setting them up for failure, and there is more than enough evidence that they, and we, have failed enough many times over. No, what he said is “follow me.” And following means that we do not take the lead. That place is reserved for him. 

His disciples struggled to hear about bearing the cross, as do we, his disciples today. There seems to be no victory in it all, only humiliation and death. It makes us look like losers. To which the gospel promise speaks, “Good! Now you can deny yourself and all false ambitions about being winners over others, and find instead that your real place is with the One who lost it all because he loved all who have found themselves lost at the bottom.” That is the path through death to resurrection, where winning comes by losing. 
 

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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,