Daily Bible Verse ~ Matthew 10:37-39

Posted On 2021-01-06

Matthew 10:37‭-‬39 ESV Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Jesus tells us to take up our cross and follow Him. What do these verses look like in our life?

If we go back a little ways in this chapter, Jesus is picking his disciples and preparing them to go out and proclaim the name of Jesus. He gives them clear instructions to take no money with them. He informs them that they will be hated by even their closest relatives. And he tells them that the world is filled with wolves, so be wise and innocent.

At the end of the chapter he tells them to love Him more than family, to take up their cross, and to lose their life. For in losing their life they will gain it. This is the greatest paradox of the Christian life. Lose your life to save your life. As I went through these verses this morning I thought to myself, “What does it look like to take up my cross and lose my life for the sake of Christ?”

My love for Christ must supersede my love for even my own family. That’s a very challenging thing for sure. For me to love the Lord more than my wife, my kids, and even my grandkids seems like a pretty lofty task. In order to do that we need to understand the weight of our sin, the power of the cross, and the amazing love and forgiveness we have in Jesus Christ. Until we have a grasp on that we will surely not make Jesus our first love. A follower of Jesus must put Jesus above all earthly relationships.

Picking up our cross means we will need to be prepared to face ridicule, persecution, and possibly even death as we proclaim the name of Jesus.

But when he says, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”… What does that mean for you and me?

Jesus is saying in these verses, as ones who confess to be disciples, we are to die to the desires and pursuit of the things that bring satisfaction to our flesh. What we pour ourselves into is a good indicator of who and what we are alive to. It shows whether we serve our flesh or serve the Lord.

The life we are to find is the eternal life and fulfilled life in Christ alone. We are to use our time, money, energy, and resources to see that the whole world hears about the name of Jesus. When we lose our life for Christ’s sake, we are sure to find the true and abundant Life in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t mean we’ll get everything we want in this life, but it does mean that we will get the peace of God each day as we serve him and point others towards Christ.

Digging Deeper:

Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21

Apply It:

How are you doing with this today? Are you pursuing Christ with your time, money, resources, or are you still trying to fulfill your own desires Paul says in Galatians chapter two that we have been crucified with Christ, that we no longer live, rather, Christ lives through us.

My encouragement to you today is to die to your old way of life and dress yourself in the new abundant Life that awaits you in Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to realize the gravity of my sin so I will understand the power of the cross. I want to desire to love you more than I desire to love my own family. Help me to pick up my cross daily. Give me the strength to give up this life in the world and live the full and abundant life in Christ.