Well, Joseph and his generation died, and the story of Moses is beginning. I remember watching "The Prince of Egypt" when I was younger. I remember how angry (yes, it was animated) the Egyptians seemed at the Israelites. I remember being sad when the horses drowned in the sea after Moses parted it and the Egyptians ran after them.
I'm not sure how accurate that movie is, but I do know that when you go oppress and try to destroy God's people, beware.
Speaking of God's people, the passage from Matthew today had a couple verses that should define us as the people of God.
Matthew 16:24-27
"24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds."
Alright, so as I read this, I really needed to decipher, "What is God asking of me?"
1. God isn't asking us to literally get crucified, but today in this world, standing up for God means putting yourself out there. Standing up for God means taking persecution, judgment, hatred, and disdain from those who don't understand and don't know how amazing our God is.
-Quite frankly, I'll admit it. I'm a coward. I don't proclaim my faith verbally everyday, yeah I may dress appropriately, I may not cuss, I listen to Worship music and turn my iPhone so other see, I wear my cross, I say "God Bless You" in stead of just "Bless You" when someone sneezes.... But is that enough? God doesn't think so. God wants us to not be so selfish in our faith--to shout out his name from the rooftops and proclaim the Good News.
On Monday, whenever I was having a conversation with a professor who I'm pretty sure isn't a believer, I spoke of my faith, of my desire to serve God with my career in the long-run, and it was VERY liberating. But now, the pressure is on. My actions and words are under a microscope in front of him. I hope that I can rise to the challenge! It was funny because this is my Shakespeare class, and every subtle Biblical reference, he would point to me and say, "Lauren, background story for this biblical reference, please."
So just another added incentive to know this Bible backwards and forwards!
2. We also learn from this passage that the more you cling to your "life"-- and your life could be the secular music that you listen to, the friends who tempt you, the movies that are suggestive. It could be loving to date and being in relationships, it could be anything that makes up your "life." If you try to cling onto that, you will certainly lose it. You will not be satisfied in your life. You will not gain entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven. If you don't absolutely surrender your life with God, if you don't take up the Cross that is Jesus, you will be judged according to the Son of Man. Your soul is the most precious thing that you have. Why would you want acceptance in this world, if it meant rejection in Heaven?
I know I don't! I don't want to be apart of this world. Each day that I am in this secular university, listen to my peers conversations on the bus, or just walking down Jayhawk Boulevard, I feel absolutely disconnected. But the more disconnected I feel with this world, the more connected I am with God.
Closing with lyrics from a Toby Mac song: "I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul."
God Bless,
Lauren
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