Whoever Loses Their Life for Me Will Save It

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. — Luke 9:23-24 

Jesus gave us clear instructions.

Whoever wants to be His disciples must deny themselves.

Each day they must take up their cross and follow Jesus. 

Whoever wants to save their life must lose it for Christ.

Whoever loses their life for Jesus will save it.

How ironic.

The more we try to hang onto our lives, the more we lose control.

But when we give it up for Jesus, He takes control and saves us from ourselves.

These beautiful lilacs were waiting for me when I got home from work today.

My sweet neighbor sent them to wish me a happy Mother's Day and to thank me for the banana bread I. made her last week.

How thoughtful.

Jesus Bore Our Sins in His Body

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” — 1 Peter 2:24 

Jesus Christ himself took on my sins in His body.

He died for me personally and for each of us.

And He went through a cruel death on the cross.

A death fit for murderers and sinners.

All so I might die to my sins.

So I can live for righteousness.

By His wounds I have been healed!

Praise the Lord.

He Humbled Himself

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! – Philippians 2:8  

Jesus humbled Himself.

He became obedient to death.

Even death on a cross.

He took on human likeness.

If I had been the only one alive, He still would have died for me.

Fortunately, He died for everyone.

He loves us so!

The Message of the Cross

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. — 1 Corinthians 1:18

The cross is a powerful symbol for those of us who are Christians.

It reminds us of Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for me.

The pain and agony Christ suffered so I can live with Him in heaven some day. 

He paid the price that I owed.

He paid my ransom.

And He rescued me from death.

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who don't Jesus.

But to those of us being saved, it is the power of God.

His amazing power and grace.

Take Up Their Cross and Follow Me

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. — Luke 9:23-24 

Jesus told the crowd that whoever wants to be His disciple must deny themselves and follow Him.

I'm so focused on myself that it's very hard to deny myself.

Not only deny myself, but take up the cross daily and follow Jesus.

The irony is that whoever wants to save their life will lose it.

Whoever loses their life for Jesus Christ will save it.

Really?

Yes. When God says it, I believe i

We Die to Sins and Live for RIghtousness

"He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” — 1 Peter 2:24 

Jesus took on my sins in His body.

He died on the cross to save me.

So that I might die to sin.

And He rose again and ascended into heaven.

So that I could live for righteousness.

By His wounds I have been healed.

And I am grateful.

Now Jesus lives in heaven and sits at the right hand of God.

One day He will welcome me into His kingdom.

Awesome.

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. — Hebrews 12:2 

Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith.

When I fix my eyes on Him, He leads me in the paths of righteousness.

He went to the cross and endured the punishment I deserved.

He died and rose again from the grave.

Jesus now lives in heaven with His Father.

He sits at the right hand of God's throne.

And His kingdom will last forever.

Making Peace Through His Blood

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. — Colossians 1:19-20 

Through Jesus, God paved the way for us to be reconciled to Him.

Yesterday we celebrated Easter with family and friends.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Through Jesus, God reconciled to himself all things.

Both things on earth and things in heaven.

Making peace through the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross.

We praise Him for His mercy.

Power of God

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. — 1 Corinthians 1:18

Here's another photo of our walk yesterday.

When we arrived at Cedar Falls trailhead, we all headed for the bathrooms before the hike.

As I emerged, a girl was approaching our group, saying she was looking for Carol's group.

Kellie started to worry because she didn't have Yolanda's name on the permit she had gotten.

But it turned out Yolanda was not someone I knew.

Her group was a church group of ladies, too. 

We saw them again at the falls.

And again on our way back to the parking lot as we thanked God for the beautiful day.

Strength to Keep Going

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. — Joshua 1:9

Mission San Luis Rey Oceanside 2016

This weekend I attended a women's retreat up at Mission San Luis Rey, and it was wonderful.

God really blessed me through the speakers, reading my Bible, praying, connecting with friends, meeting new Christian sisters, celebrating Joy's birthday, singing God's praises, sitting among the flowers, laughing over wine and cheese, doing some crazy skits, trying cupping plus a variety of yoga balls, and eating wonderful food.

I probably gained a couple of pounds, so I'll head out for a hike this afternoon after I do our taxes.

I felt great the whole time until Friday night after dinner, when I headed over to hear the first speaker. I stopped to take a nausea pill and threw up the pill and my coleslaw all over the walkway.

I actually felt much better after that so headed back to the kitchen, borrowed a mop, and cleaned up the mess before heading into the meeting room. I missed the music, but arrived just in time to hear Dawn share the story of God's faithfulness to her during the loss of her first baby.

One of the things she shared was that she bought a pair of awesome really high heels to wear to the baby's funeral service just to help her feel good about herself on the outside as she was struggling on the inside.

She encourage us not to fake it with our relationships with others but to come before God, humbly lay ourselves bare, and admit our need for healing and salvation so God can use our weakness to point to the cross.

God meets us where we are and helps us move beyond ourselves.