Take up Your Cross

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24 ESV

     Since obviously Jesus hadn't been crucified yet, I'm sure this statement seemed odd to his disciples.  Today, knowing that he hadn't been crucified yet, this statement seems a little odd to me.  What does that mean Jesus?  I understand denying myself, I know what that looks like but what is this cross you speak of?
     So in my mind, I place myself in Jerusalem, in the days Christ walked the earth.  I look around and see men hanging on crosses throughout the region.  Rome had come up with a horrible death sentence.  To basically force the Jewish community to conform, they began to crucify criminals, but any one who publicly spoke against the Roman Empire, were subject to being crucified.  Pretty scary times to be living in.
     Take up your cross.  Let's unpack that for a minute.  What is a cross?  Two extremely heavy pieces of wood, either nailed or bound together in a very cumbersome form that looks like a capital T.  To pick this up is difficult all on its own.  I'm so confused.  The Lord  promises rest.  Now he is saying to pick up something I can barely lift and follow him.  How far do I have to carry it Lord?
     Hold up, maybe I'm getting ahead off myself.  What do you do with a cross?  Well, if you're a Roman, you nail your problems to it and walk away. 
     So let's take a step back and look at it.   To be a follower of Christ, we need deny ourselves of the things of the world that take our attention off of Jesus, and take up our cross.  So is he telling us to free ourselves from the things that weigh us down?  To nail those things to the cross that would distract us otherwise?  Because if we were able to take the things we worry about, the things that stress us out and the things that distract us from what our calling is, then following Jesus becomes effortless. 
Wow!  What a wonderful God we serve!

If you would like to know more about Jesus, contact me at rlwhitener@gmail.com

Thanks for following along.  May God richly bless you and yours.

New Mercies Every Morning

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22‭-‬23 ESV

God is so good!  His love never ceases and his mercies never come to an end.  If you're day was bad and things didn't go exactly the way you planned, good news bro, every morning ôur heavenly father, in his goodness, provides us with new mercies!  How awesome is that?
There are so many promises that God has made to prosper, heal, protect, love and forgive us, that I can't even count them all.  In Jeremiah, chapter 29:11 God tells us,
"I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord.  Thoughts of good and not of evil, to give you a hope and an expected end."
God is all about loving you through it all!  He is all about us.  Everything he does is intended to bring us into relationship with him.  Everything.  Did you know that there is nothing you can do to make God love you anymore than he does right now, just like there is nothing you can do to make him love you less.  As a matter of fact, while we were yet sinners, enemy's of God according to the bible, he sent Jesus to die  for our sin.
John 3:16 teaches
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but have life and life everlasting."
You know what?  I have lived one of the darkest lives you could ever imagine.  Over 40 years of drug abuse.  Almost 50 years of immorality.  16 years spent in prison.  Divorced.  A waisted youth?  A waisted life?  Not at all.  God, being the good father he is, kept me alive through all my madness, to bring glory to his name.   In 1982, the Lord saved me.  It was a Wednesday night service, at a small neighborhood church called Lighthouse Tabernacle in Oklahoma City.  The pastor, Joel Lamb, turned out to be my neighbor.  I was such a hard headed youngster, but Joel demonstrated the love of Jesus all the time.  He is the most sincere follower of Jesus, I've ever known.  I love him and his family just like I was born into it. 
Obviously I didn't walk in faith during much of the time since my salvation, but God stayed faithful even when I didn't.  Why?  Because that's who he is.  He knew that one day i'd be in Central Florida, producing pushing back darkness video blogs so you could have an opportunity to meet Jesus.  If you're already a Christian, then hopefully this will encourage you in your walk.  Of course the ultimate would be if you would join with me and help the ministry grow.  How can you do that?  Share this blog with your friends, family members and your pastor.  Also, pray that God would open doors so I can give my testimony to youth groups, recovery groups, community church's and anywhere that someone may hear what horrors I committed and what drug abuse has cost me in terms of relationships, jobs, possessions and money. Let's show the generation coming up, the love of Jesus, and stop allowing them to cut their teeth on gangsta rap, drugs, sex and violence.

Would you like to know more about Jesus?  What it looks like to live a Christian life?  Would you like someone to stand with you in prayer?  Whatever your need or reason, feel free to contact me direct; rlwhitener01@gmail.com

Thank you for following along.  May God richly bless you and yours.... Peace.

We've Been Commissioned

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Romans 10:14‭-‬17 ESV

     I felt the call of the Lord on my life very early in my walk.  I have been a  Christian, since the early 80's.  I was saved in a momentof desperation while watching TBN.  For some of you younger believers, TBN was and very possibly still is, a huge television network that was caught up in the faith movement.  Name it -Claim it genie bottle Christianity, is not what the gospel teaches, but that's a different lesson.
      Anyway, I have done a little preaching, a little teaching and very little witnessing.  I never had the confidence it took to stand in front of people, knowing the me they never saw an. trying to tell them how to have a right relationship with God.  I never believed I was in a right relationship so how could I have the audacity to try and tell someone else how to do it?
      What a beautiful lie the devil has told and been telling since the garden.  You're not good enough.  You need to go to Bible College first.  You haven't been delivered from that, stop lying.
     So I have listened to the voices in and out of my head, rather than listening to the still quiet voice in my heart.
     What has changed?
      My ôbedience reflected through this blog.  Ì've been reading the past few years of posts I've written by the leading of the Holy Spirit.  God has placed a gift in me of clear and relatable communication.  I am perfect for the job he called me to do because He is perfect.  The same spirit that raised Jesus from the grave is living within me.
      I'm not perfect, but God is!
      Even though I may be the chief among sinners and a man with unclean lips, I am a man after Gods own heart.  I can only do what he says do.  Like Balaam, I can only say what he says to say.
     If you know you're supposed to be doing something, don't allow the negativity of the people you've surrounded yourself with, to hold you down.  How will they hear if no one tells them?

 Would you like to know more about Jesus?  Feel free to contact me; rlwhitener01@gmail.com
Thanks for following along.  May God richly bless you and yours.