"If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." - Luke 9:23 Some years ago I spent the summer studying the book of Mark. I was reading Mark 15, when I came across these words in verse 31: "The chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked Him among themselves. 'He saved others,' they said, 'but he can't save himself!'" I wondered, Who else mocked Him as He hung on that cross? I started to find cross-references in other Gospels and discovered that along with the chief priests, Jesus was mocked by the soldiers, the thieves who were crucified with Him, and the people who passed by. This was a microcosm of humanity -- the religious leaders, the military, those outside the law, and the general public. They all said essentially the same thing: "He saved others but he can't save himself." And then it hit me. "Right!" I shouted. "That's right!" To be used of God in the salvation of others requires denying self on behalf of others. The jeering crowd didn't understand this as they hurled abuse at Jesus. They thought they had all their theological bases covered. But in their ignorance, they actually expressed a great truth. Jesus said that if you're not willing to give up your life for His sake and His kingdom, you will lose it (Luke 9:24). But if we deny self; if we follow the example of Christ and put the welfare of others before our own desires; if we repudiate self and give our lives for the salvation of others, we will find our lives and, in the end, come out winners. Does your life reflect this Christlike characteristic of self-denial for the sake of others? If not, what stands in your way?
Prayer
"Lord, give me the grace to give up my life for You and Your eternal purposes. Amen" Leading others to Christ calls for self-denial.
Grace to you!
Holy Bible, Book Divine
Holy Bible, Book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine;
Mine to tell me whence I came;
Mine to teach me what I am.
Mine to chide me when I rove;
Mine to show a Savior’s love;
Mine thou art to guide and guard;
Mine to punish or reward.
Mine to comfort in distress;
Suffering in this wilderness;
Mine to show, by living faith,
Man can triumph over death.
Mine to tell of joys to come,
And the rebel sinner’s doom;
O thou holy Book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine.
Daily Smile:
Tired from waiting for their overdue baby, my daughter and her husband broke the monotony one night with a trip to the movies. My daughter went inside to get seats while my son-in-law bought popcorn and drinks in the lobby.
Paying for the refreshments, my son-in-law knocked over his soda. The clerk mopped up the mess and refilled his cup. Rattled, he then joined his wife.
Talking over the background music, he dramatically described his embarrassing episode. One of his expressive gestures upset the bucket of popcorn. He sheepishly headed back to the lobby.
When he was out of earshot, the woman sitting next to my daughter turned and said, "You're not going to let him hold the baby, are you?"
In The News:
Israel Launches Retaliation Strikes Against Hamas Rocket Attacks
Israel moved closer to an all-out ground war with Hamas Thursday, as Israeli planes, tanks and gunboats targeted suspected militant positions in Gaza in retaliation for Hamas rocket attacks that left at least three Israelis dead, Fox News reports. Israel began moving troops toward the Gaza Strip and authorized the army to draft as many as 30,000 reserve forces for a possible ground invasion of the Palestinian territory. Military officials said the moves were preparations for a possible ground operation, but no decision has been made on whether to invade Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel could no longer stand repeated attacks on its southern towns, and said Israel had "made it clear" it won't tolerate continued rocket fire on its civilians. Earlier, Netanyahu had declared: "If there is a need, the military is prepared to expand the operation. We will continue to do everything to protect our citizens." Egypt's Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, has ordered his prime minister to lead a senior delegation to Gaza in a show of support for Hamas rulers in the face of Israel's offensive. Earlier on Thursday, Morsi had vowed to work to stop Israel's operation against Hamas, calling the Jewish state's actions there "unacceptable."
Poll: 60 Percent of Voters Back Traditional Marriage
Despite four victories by gay marriage supporters on Election Day in Maine, Maryland, Washington state and Minnesota, a solid majority of voters nationwide still believe marriage is between one man and one woman, according to a new poll, Baptist Press reports. The Nov. 7 survey by the Polling Company of 800 people who voted either on Election Day or voted early shows 60 percent of voters this year agreed that "marriage is between one man and one woman." Fifty-one percent agreed strongly, and all total, 34 percent disagreed with the statement. "Americans remain strongly in favor of marriage as the union of one man and one woman," said Brian Brown, president of the pro-family National Organization for Marriage. "The election results reflect the political and funding advantages our opponents enjoyed in these very liberal states."
Precious treasure, thou art mine;
Mine to tell me whence I came;
Mine to teach me what I am.
Mine to chide me when I rove;
Mine to show a Savior’s love;
Mine thou art to guide and guard;
Mine to punish or reward.
Mine to comfort in distress;
Suffering in this wilderness;
Mine to show, by living faith,
Man can triumph over death.
Mine to tell of joys to come,
And the rebel sinner’s doom;
O thou holy Book divine,
Precious treasure, thou art mine.
Daily Smile:
Tired from waiting for their overdue baby, my daughter and her husband broke the monotony one night with a trip to the movies. My daughter went inside to get seats while my son-in-law bought popcorn and drinks in the lobby.
Paying for the refreshments, my son-in-law knocked over his soda. The clerk mopped up the mess and refilled his cup. Rattled, he then joined his wife.
Talking over the background music, he dramatically described his embarrassing episode. One of his expressive gestures upset the bucket of popcorn. He sheepishly headed back to the lobby.
When he was out of earshot, the woman sitting next to my daughter turned and said, "You're not going to let him hold the baby, are you?"
In The News:
Israel Launches Retaliation Strikes Against Hamas Rocket Attacks
Israel moved closer to an all-out ground war with Hamas Thursday, as Israeli planes, tanks and gunboats targeted suspected militant positions in Gaza in retaliation for Hamas rocket attacks that left at least three Israelis dead, Fox News reports. Israel began moving troops toward the Gaza Strip and authorized the army to draft as many as 30,000 reserve forces for a possible ground invasion of the Palestinian territory. Military officials said the moves were preparations for a possible ground operation, but no decision has been made on whether to invade Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel could no longer stand repeated attacks on its southern towns, and said Israel had "made it clear" it won't tolerate continued rocket fire on its civilians. Earlier, Netanyahu had declared: "If there is a need, the military is prepared to expand the operation. We will continue to do everything to protect our citizens." Egypt's Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, has ordered his prime minister to lead a senior delegation to Gaza in a show of support for Hamas rulers in the face of Israel's offensive. Earlier on Thursday, Morsi had vowed to work to stop Israel's operation against Hamas, calling the Jewish state's actions there "unacceptable."
Poll: 60 Percent of Voters Back Traditional Marriage
Despite four victories by gay marriage supporters on Election Day in Maine, Maryland, Washington state and Minnesota, a solid majority of voters nationwide still believe marriage is between one man and one woman, according to a new poll, Baptist Press reports. The Nov. 7 survey by the Polling Company of 800 people who voted either on Election Day or voted early shows 60 percent of voters this year agreed that "marriage is between one man and one woman." Fifty-one percent agreed strongly, and all total, 34 percent disagreed with the statement. "Americans remain strongly in favor of marriage as the union of one man and one woman," said Brian Brown, president of the pro-family National Organization for Marriage. "The election results reflect the political and funding advantages our opponents enjoyed in these very liberal states."
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