Monday, September 16, 2019

1 Kings 8:31-66; Jeremiah 16:1-21; Philippians 1:21-2:11


He said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23


The cross is not an ornament for one’s neck. Neither is it a burden
to be borne such as Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7). Oh
no! One who was seen carrying a cross was on their way to die!
What the Lord is saying is, if you want to follow Me it must be a
life commitment—you must be willing to suffer and even be willing
to face death for Me. To suffering saints in Smyrna and to us
He says, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer…(
just) Be faithful until death” (Rev. 2:10). —David Croudace


Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own His cause, or blush to speak His name?
Must I be carried to the skies, on flowery beds of ease,
While others fight to win the prize and sail thro’ bloody seas?—C. Studd