(Luke 9:23-26)

" And 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. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels."

The famous explorer Cortez, upon arriving at Vera Cruz with 700 men, burned the eleven ships that had brought them from Spain. The men under his command knew there was no turning back. There was only one way they could go and that was forward. They were totally committed. Christians are to be equally committed. There is no turning back; we too must go forward. In these few verses we see four areas of Christian commitment

Jesus sets the Christian standard. It is not a denomination or set of guidelines or rules or regulations we are to follow, but the person of Christ. It is not my purpose to undermine any guidelines or helps to the Christian life, but they must not be a substitute for Christ. We are to be committed to His claims, His will and His work. Christ is our all in all. God's plans are centered on God's Son. What is your level of commitment to Him? Have you given Him your life? Commitment starts with surrender. It must be so for only Christ has the power to accomplish His will in your life. "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)

COMMITTED TO SERVICE (23)"FOLLOW Me"

God has provided gifts for the Church. (1 Cor 12) (Rom 12) (Eph 4) These gifts are for the equipping of the saints. We are equipped to serve one another. '"For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (Eph 4:12). Service is designed to make us all more Christlike in the Church and to reach out to a world lost in sin to show them how Christ wants to touch their lives as well. (Mark 10:43) Says, "If any would be great among you, let him be servant of all." Are you sharing the good news? Jesus gave His life for man's sin, rose from the dead and now offers eternal life to all who will ask Him. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom 10:13)

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable, for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." (2 Tim 3:16) "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim 2:15) The way to know the will of God is to know the word of God. The Bible is our manual for God's standard of life. Everyday we should not only to read the Bible but study it as well. God's word requires a lifetime of study and application. Do you have a regular systematic plan of Bible study?

COMMITTED TO SEPARATION (23)"DENY self-take up the cross"

In Jesus day to take up the cross was to be under the condemnation of death. The whole concept of death is separation. The Christian is separated to God and separated from the world. Not by hiding away, but in presenting a shining testimony of what God can do through the life of one committed to Him. The uniqueness of that testimony is the obvious contrast between the Christian and those who are without Christ. Is there such a contrast in your Life? The more we are like the world the less effective we will be our testimony. There is great gain in following Jesus and great loss in following the world. Luke 9:25 says," What advantage is it to gain the whole world and lose one's self or be cast away"? The obvious answer is none.

A church is San Francisco was filled with hundreds of guests. The bride was radiant in her gown as she and the groom stood before the priest. He asked the question, "Do you take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?" She replied, "I'm not sure." The priest called off the ceremony. The guests were sent home shocked and the food waiting in the reception hall was spoiled. All because the bride could not make up her mind. The story does have a happy ending though. Sometime later the bride admitted that she was only nervous and the couple did get married. Let's not be hesitant or uncertain in our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. God bless.