THE CROSS

Matt 10:37-39
37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me;

anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and
anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever
finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his l

Matt 16:24-28
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny

himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life h
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for
a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in
exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory
with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has
done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before
they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

Mark 8:34-38
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone

would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35
For whoever wants to save his life c will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me
and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world,
yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone
is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of
Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy
angels."

Luke 9:23-27
23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny

himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a
man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is
ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he
comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 I tell you
the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the
kingdom of God."
Luke 14:25-27
25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 "If

anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and
children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my
disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my
disciple.

QUOTATION

"THE SON OF GOD BECAME A MAN TO ENABLE MEN TO BECOME SONS OF GOD". - C.S.
LEWIS 

All God's plans have the mark of the cross on them, and all His plans have death to self in them.
--E. M Bounds

The Blood deals with what we have done, whereas the Cross deals with what we are. The
Blood disposes of our sins, while the Cross strikes at the root of our capacity for sin.
--Watchman Nee

In Christ, troubles are turned into triumph, so in Him we look at what is coming as the times of
the greatest triumphs the world has ever known! The conclusion of all things is that we win! The
cross will prevail. This is the foundational truth that all of our understanding of these times must
be based on.--Rick Joyner

The life Christ lived qualified Him for the death He died—and the death He died qualifies us for
the life we live. –Unknown

STORIES

The young man was at the end of his rope. Seeing no way out, he dropped to his
knees in prayer.

 "Lord, I can't go on," he said. 

"I have too heavy a cross to bear." 

The Lord replied, 

"My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room.
Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."

 The man was filled with relief. 

  

"Thank you,  Lord, "

he sighed, and he did as he was told. Upon entering the other door, he saw many
crosses, some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross
leaning against a far wall.

 "I'd like that one, Lord,"

 he whispered. And the Lord replied,

 " My son, that is the cross you just brought in."

 When life's problems seem overwhelming, it helps to look around and see what
other people are coping with. You may consider yourself far more blessed than
you imagined. 

POEM

Life holds so many precious things...

Trees that blow, the wind that sings...
The sun in the morning, the moon at night...
The stars in the heaven, shining so bright...

A river that flows so peacefully...

Children laughing and playing gleefully...
Mountains that reach up to the sky...
The all American "Apple Pie"...

A sunset shining on the ocean waves...

Stalactites and stalagmites in their caves...
Lilly pads floating peacefully on a pond...
The autumn grandeur of nature’s wand..

A river that flows so peacefully...

Children laughing and playing gleefully...
Mountains that reach up to the sky...
The all American "Apple Pie"...
A sunset shining on the ocean waves...
Stalactites and stalagmites in their caves...
Lilly pads floating peacefully on a pond...
The autumn grandeur of nature’s wand..

The drifting dunes of the desert sand...

The feel of raindrops in our hand...
The eagle soaring in the sky above...
A spark in the eye that turns to love...

A field overflowing with wildflowers...

The gift of friendship that is ours...
Each beautiful moment of treasured time...
Are God's precious gifts, yours and mine...

© Jeannie Nourse..

OUTLINE

1. LOYALTY
2. DESTINY
3. PERSISTENCY