Take Up Your Cross: Most Excellent Way (Part I) Revised

Take Up Your Cross: Most Excellent Way (Part I) Revised: Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ...

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Keith Brake

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Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. And the place was shaken...WOW We all need these moments of transfiguration. Times when God makes an appearance leaving no doubt that you are where you're supposed to be doing exactly what is pleasing to Him. God moments...! They happen every day. All day. In big and small ways. The small moments may bring a smile. The huge bring tears. We can fathom only handfuls of the mountainous otherwise we look only for big and miss the multitude of God moments happening all around us. One of those gigantic events happened Sunday. Over 50 of us were jammed into the small hospice room of our beloved LIFE group teacher of 25 years. Cancer had left him unable to communicate. Final days of life's struggle are approaching. Lynn's request for Keith was to have his class meet by his bed, on Easter Sunday, a
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Take Up Your Cross (Part II)

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No one understands the passion of Christ so thoroughly or heartily as the man whose lot it is to suffer the like himself. The cross, therefore, is always ready; it awaits you everywhere. No matter where you may go, you cannot escape it, for wherever you go you take yourself with you and shall always find yourself. Turn where you will—above, below, without, or within—you will find a cross in everything, and everywhere you must have patience if you would have peace within and merit an eternal crown.                                                - Thomas A Kempis                                            (The Imitation Of Christ) You may ask what has brought you here but the most important fact, for now, is who has brought you here. You have heard that Gods love for you is indescribable; the cross that you bear is an act of His love. It sounds strange and you may think opposite but His love for you has led you here. You thought sin; assured of misfortune; convinced of something
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Go For It

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One of the most heart rendering experiences I've ever had occurred on a mission trip to the south pacific. My niece came with me along with a dozen other workers. We arrived at the airport in Manila Philippines for our return flight to America. My niece reached for her passport...and it wasn't there. One thing for certain, you're not getting on an international flight without a passport. It was lost on the bumpy ride to the city. She had everything, but not quite! Everything.. but the most important item... which gave her right of passage. At that point, nothing else mattered. I recall her weeping on my shoulder, "Uncle John, there going to keep me here forever". How God bailed us out of that jam was amazing and a great devotion for another time. What I'm reminded of from this is the story of the rich young man that came to Jesus in Matthew 19. He had everything and had kept all the law. He would have been like the Bruce Wayne of Palestine. He had money,
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