S. O. A. P.

Here’s Your 90 second AM Devotional!

S-cripture:

Luke 9:23

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

O-bservation:

Here, “The Lord” gives us the marks of a Disciple of Jesus Christ. He said, “The person who wants to be My disciple must deny his or her own wants, must be willing to lift any load of responsibility in pursuit of Jesus, and must follow Jesus wholeheartedly.”

A-pplication:

Every person who has ever lived has been self-absorbed prior to knowing Jesus. Before they know Jesus, a person’s chief issues are always: my will, my desire, my needs, and my life. Only by “Denying” oneself can one begin to understand the Life of Christ. Fasting is one way of setting aside what we want in favor of knowing Jesus in a more intimate way. Daily prayer and devotion also bring people closer to The Lord. The second essential of discipleship is to “Lift” one’s cross. This has to do with “Servant Leadership.” A true Servant Leader is a “Heavy Lifter.” The Servant Leader says, “I’ll do whatever it takes to see Jesus’ Kingdom move forward. If it’s manual labor or assisting those living with mental illness, I’ll do it!” Finally, “Following” Jesus is what it’s all about. It’s not about my agenda, my corporation’s agenda, or my friends’ or family’s agenda. Instead we say, “I will FOLLOW Jesus today!” That’s our mission: “Deny, Lift, And Follow.”

P-rayer:

Dear Jesus,

The great thing about being Your servant is that every day I learn NEW WAYS to … “Deny, Lift, And Follow” You. In fact, with Your help I’m walking out the door right now to do exactly that! Amen