I DIE DAILY

4. TAKE UP THE CROSS Mark 10:21b

A Recap of the previous series-Last Week

Jesus instructions are sequential

Fulfilling one leads you to the next

If you seek financial liberty

Follow Mark 10:21 to detail

1.   You need to go your way

Locate what nature has given you

Your making lies in the discovery

Of your latent abilities

2.  Sell whatever you have

Next after discovery is, marketing

Process and upgrade what you have

Give it a commercial value

By developing and polishing it

Then trade it for money

3.  Give to the poor

When dough start flowing in.

Remember to give back to those in need

And there are miracles giving can get you

That your money cannot give you

Even sciences says you will

Be healthier if you are a giver

This week we will be looking at

4.  And come take up the cross

5.  And follow Me

4. TAKE UP THE CROSS

Pastor Araba Akoni once told me

That whatever greatness meets in a man

Is what it magnifies

It will blow up your good character

And also help to elevate the others too

Those words remained my cherished truth

Anytime anywhere I go

First it made me realise that

Whatever I see in people up ahead

That is not worth emulating

It did not just get there

It’s been there before they ever made it

Secondly I realised that if I live free too

Not putting my body under

I might be repeating history

And lastly I discovered

The power of discipline

Which is one of the cross languages

What you refuse to discipline

Yourself about today

Can bring you shame tomorrow

Taking up the cross means dying

Putting your body under

That is dying to the lust of the flesh

The lust of the eyes and the pride of life

To instil discipline into yourself

And don’t let what you have

Get into your head

The cross deals with the flesh and

Makes you not to dance to its dictates

I have heard of people who

Were once very great

People who were once in their life

In command of material wealth

But they lose it to indiscipline

The cross is to tame our excesses

Jesus wants you to make it

And He wants you to move

From prosperity to posterity

And the only way to build

Enduring riches is by way of the cross

These 3 fellows have done

A lot of havoc to humanity

1.  The lust of the flesh 1Jn2:16

Crave for Instant sensual gratification

Physical pleasures seeking immediate satisfaction

2.  The lust of the eyes

Greedy longing of the mind

Wanting everything for yourself

3.  The Pride of life

Wanting to appear important

Assurance in your resources

Pride in the stability of earthly things

Boast in physical possessions

But Jesus Christ said come

Because there are many out there

Who prayed like never before

When things were so hard for them

When they could not even afford a shoe

Or pay their house rent

But forget God when things are rosy

They give excuse for not being fervent again

They have lost their fire to comfort

They now boast in what they have

They crave for respect from people

Pride has taken hold of them

They rot in physical pleasure

And their eyes dictate their living

What do you say of

Believers in the market places

Living like they were never saved

Jesus asked them to come

Because anyone can trade his talent

And make it big and still be far from God

Examine yourself if you are still in faith

The hustling and bustling

Of the business of your talent

Trying to get out of financial trouble

Can take you far away from fellowship

So this is a clarion call to everyone

Who is so busy making money out there

Neglecting the Giver of the wealth

He says to you COME

And to every believers there

That still lives and walk in the flesh

Take up your cross for a new you

Paul said I die daily

We need that kind of death

In our Christian journey

Shalom

Wale Oyebade

WATCH OUT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CROSS TOMORROW