Wednesday July 29, 2020
Today’s Scripture: Mark 8:34-38
34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Today’s Devotional
I’m going to make some people mad with this statement – but here goes. The song “My Way” by Frank Sinatra is the worst song in the world. Told ya I’d make some of you mad!
The only thing that is redeeming about the song is the talent of the man singing it and the tune. The lyrics are horrible:
Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
Too few to mention? You did what you “had to do” but let’s don’t talk about the consequences – after all, they’re too just too few to mention.
Or what about:
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows
I took the blows
And did it my way
Heaven forbid that one kneels! The only way to win apparently is to stand up -and do it your way.
The problem of course is not this song – it’s the attitude that is displayed in the song: that the most important thing in life is to do it our way – to not show weakness – to win at all costs and to heck with other people.
Unfortunately, this attitude is prevalent in our society. It exists in our workplaces – it’s a feature in our lives. And this makes sense. We are not ones to give up our way or to come in last or be a servant to all. Maybe this is why Jesus was so adamant in this passage that if you want to be his disciple you HAVE to “give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”
Let’s make today a day that we check our “my way” tendencies and commit ourselves to living as Jesus’ disciples.
Today’s Prayer
God there are so many times throughout our day that we try to do it our way instead of your way. Forgive us for not taking up our cross and following Jesus. Forgive us for trying to hang onto something that is not even ours to hang onto. Help us this day and in our lives to set aside “our way” and follow your son in every way.
Amen
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