Devotion

Harness Your Will
Mark 8:34 (NLT) Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my followers, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.

The last call for your pity party happens the moment you decide to pick up your cross and follow Jesus. That’s right - no more excuses, blaming or feeling sorry for yourself when you align yourself with Him. You see, picking up your cross acknowledges that you agree that ‘[you] can do all things through Him Who gives [you] strength’ (Philippians 4:3). Your picking up your cross also demonstrates that you agree with Christ’s will for your life. Notice that Jesus doesn’t tell us to pick up anybody else’s cross except our own. He’s already looking out for you by making sure you don’t take on more than you can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). Now, if you’ll just harness your will, relinquish your preferences, and simply follow your Savior – I can promise that you’ll never miss what you thought you couldn’t live without.