05-09-2016, 06:01 PM
Matthew 16:24-25 (NKJV) Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
John 15:13-14 (NKJV) Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
Many times I've seen lots of people who claim that they love the Lord,but when it comes down to giving up what the Lord says they need to give up for His sake, you would be amazed at the amount of resistance you will get. If you look at their church attendance record, the activities in the church, and how they sing loudly and pray long and loudly, they say all the right scriptures and really if you look at them you would be convinced that they really love the Lord. But I have found that the Lord is not after all those things. Jesus on the other hand, has a much greater standard of love that he expects from those who say they love him. In John 15:13 above he says, there is no greater love that one can show than laying down his life for his friends. He then says if you do his commandments you are his friends. You can turn that around to say if he's your friend, then you have to be willing to lay down your life for Him, just like he did for us. He says in Matthew 16:24, if we want to come after him we need to deny ourselves, forget about what we want, our lives and basically lay down our lives before him. That is a standard of love for Him that He expects and nothing less. If then you find that you say you love the Lord, but fail to do his commandments, in other words, denying yourself of the things that you want, and lay down your life before his feet, it's time to examine if indeed you do love Him. Because to Him, love means giving yourself up to him and not the amount of scriptures you can quote, or prayer meetings you attend. Are you willing to lose your life for his sake? He says whoever loses it for His sake will find it.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
John 15:13-14 (NKJV) Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
Many times I've seen lots of people who claim that they love the Lord,but when it comes down to giving up what the Lord says they need to give up for His sake, you would be amazed at the amount of resistance you will get. If you look at their church attendance record, the activities in the church, and how they sing loudly and pray long and loudly, they say all the right scriptures and really if you look at them you would be convinced that they really love the Lord. But I have found that the Lord is not after all those things. Jesus on the other hand, has a much greater standard of love that he expects from those who say they love him. In John 15:13 above he says, there is no greater love that one can show than laying down his life for his friends. He then says if you do his commandments you are his friends. You can turn that around to say if he's your friend, then you have to be willing to lay down your life for Him, just like he did for us. He says in Matthew 16:24, if we want to come after him we need to deny ourselves, forget about what we want, our lives and basically lay down our lives before him. That is a standard of love for Him that He expects and nothing less. If then you find that you say you love the Lord, but fail to do his commandments, in other words, denying yourself of the things that you want, and lay down your life before his feet, it's time to examine if indeed you do love Him. Because to Him, love means giving yourself up to him and not the amount of scriptures you can quote, or prayer meetings you attend. Are you willing to lose your life for his sake? He says whoever loses it for His sake will find it.
