Happy Thursday!

Luke 9:23 “If any will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Jesus stood in the garden and said to the Father, “If it be possible let this cup pass from me.” Jesus did not say there was no cup to drink. He suffered so many things before He ever got to the cross. Even through all of the beatings, the scourging, being spat upon and the crown of thorns slammed down on His head He still managed to say to the Father, “Father, please forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Jesus was the perfect model of denying one’s self for the sake of others and the perfect model of obedience to the Father’s will. Jesus walked the path of suffering to fulfill the purpose to which He was called.

God calls us to be like Jesus. We may each say to ourselves that there is no way for us to be like Jesus. We have done so many things wrong and are so full of sin that why would God ever want us to do His will? We are not perfect. But when God looks at us he sees perfection because of the life of Jesus that lives within us. My meditation tonight said, “God has purer eyes than to behold evil.”

Remember we are the focus of God’s love and He never gives up on us. The way we become like Jesus is to spend time with Him. When we devote our lives to His service then we need to spend time each day in prayer, the Word and conversation where we talk to God and listen for our instructions for the day.

We will all at some time in our lives walk a path of suffering and hurt. We will know what to do because we watched Jesus trust His Father during his journey. Jesus spent time daily with His Father and even when the news was not good Jesus knew His Father so well that He trusted Him to walk the journey with Him. God will do no less for each of us.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.