I came across this message a while back, and I have listened to it for a bit, repeatedly too. It was sent to me by a very unlikely source, when I really needed something to hold on to. I finally found the full clip, so I thought you guys would be blessed by it too.
I hope you guys like my new banner. Designed it myself. Enjoy this message, and be challenged and uplifted the way I was.
First, some background.
So, what is the Cross about in the first place? Wha
Speaking of every christian, this brings us to our topic of today. Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross was carried out, once and for all, with no need to repeat the process, so why do we have a cross to bear?
Matthew 10:38 says, Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (NIV) The Amplified Version puts it this way: And he who does not take up his cross and follow me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conforming wholly to My example in living, and if need be, in dying also] is not worthy of Me. As Christians, every day we live for Christ, we carry our own cross, and for very much the same reason as Christ carried His own Cross – for the salvation of the soul of man. It means that everything that Christ experienced, we should be prepared to endure the same. We should be the embodiment of sacrifice, love and selflessness in everything we do. Our lives are our message, our lives are our testimony, our lives show hope to a world without hope. This means that we will not always have the popular opinion, but our word is the truth. The Bible also said in Matthew 16:24 that, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. As we strive to be more like Christ, we should always carry our cross, and follow Him.
Unfortunately, because of the challenges and situations we find ourselves in life, we are accustomed to dropping our crosses to go and solve the problems we face. Times come when we face some times of trial or even times of plenty when we forget whose example we are supposed to be following, and we become so overwhelmed, that in retrospect, we can’t imagine how much we lost it. Following Christ and being like Him was never a call in to the easy life; it was an invitation into Life, and it is now our duty to show others the Light so that they also might live the Life that we have. In our contemporary times, it is easier than ever before to be so swamped that we forget what matters most, and what is at the center of God’s desire for man, which is that all should come to repentance, and none should perish. God has not called all Christians to be preachers or bible teachers, but we have all called to be witnesses, to be ambassadors, to preach salvation with our lives, which is the most efficient way. We have to go back, find our crosses, die daily and show the world Christ, and the Life He gives freely to all we receive. It might be okay to forget your cross on the odd occasion, but it would be an abuse of your being alive to ignore it, and refuse to represent the One who redeemed you from death to eternal life.
Isn’t life the most unpredictable concept you ever came across? I wonder sometimes how it would be if everything was straightforward, no curve balls, no glitches in the works, no unforeseen circumstances… Would it be better then than it is now? Would we be happier? Would we achieve as much or even more than we do currently? Would there be less conflict among individuals, organizations and governments?
It is no secret that life will not always turn out as you have planned it. It is also no secret that every single person alive will have days they wished they never had, meaning that anyone crooning that life is particularly unfair to them is contained in a very small package.
Also it is no secret that times of misfortune will befall both those considered to be good or bad in nature, and not necessarily a consequence of bad behaviour on one’s part. Misfortune actually seems to be pronounced when it picks on an innocent person to show its character. But then, in reality, this popular items of knowledge hardly ever seem to produce a relief, and people go through various degrees of suffering just waiting for when it would all be over, and they can put the episode behind them. This is a lot like someone going to college, and just praying that graduation will come sooner than later.
Every person will chart his own course in life. Everyone’s life will have its high and low times. Why all humans will NEVER be the same is because of REACTION: how you respond to events in your life will define the structure of your life. Suffering, pain, misfortune; they are not billed as interesting moments in your life, but when you realize that there is so much you could gain from those periods, you will not look forward to them, but you would exploit every opportunity they present. An opportunity to develop a stronger mind, a lesson in patience and endurance, a chance to correct some wrongs in your life, a motivation to press forward to achieve what you want, a challenge to outgrow some events and people in your life; all these and many more would be harder to come by in terms of relative sanity and order. Someone once said that great men are never developed in moments of peace, but in times of war.
I have gone through A LOT in the past one year. Two things have kept me going: first, God’s Word. It has been like every single time I open my Bible I see something telling me to NEVER give up, and to always hold on, telling me my future will be bright, and even brighter than I can see. Second thing is, I have absolutely refused to see myself as a failure of any sort. Some things were not in my control, a few were, but I am still my biggest fan. God is going to give me my expected end; He wouldn’t lie about that. All I will do is put myself in the best possible position to be blessed maximally.
Do not waste your suffering. It would be a massive mistake. There are lessons that only suffering and adversity will teach you. You do not want to miss those lessons.
Currently I am reading a book by Max Lucado, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear. I first came across the book in my friend, Funsho’s house some months ago, and ever since then, after reading just the first two pages, I was sure I was going to own a copy of the said book. While reading, I came across some scripture passages that gave me some exposition I hadn’t seen before, hence I thought I’d build on that and share with anyone who comes across this blog.
In Matthew 10:29, the Bible says that two sparrows are sold for a farthing, yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Heavenly Father’s knowledge and protection; it goes on in verse 31 to say that we should not fear because we are of more value than many sparrows. This passage is a reassurance of God’s watchful protection over us and His keen eye for the details in our lives.
There is a similar passage in Luke 12:6, similar but with an interesting twist/addition to it. It says that are not five sparrows sold for 2 farthings, and yet not one of them is forgotten by God? Simple math: 2 sparrows would cost 1 farthing, so 4 sparrows should cost 2 farthings, but then in this recent passage, 5, and not 4 sparrows cost 2 farthings, from which we can freely suggest that there is a bonus sparrow, one which has no cost, no real value, but is thrown in there for being such a magnanimous customer. (It kinda makes you wonder how many free sparrows you would get if you were buying 10 farthings worth – might not even be legal to do so). This Fifth Sparrow is the crux of the matter.
There are a lot of ‘fifth sparrow(s)’ in our contemporary world today, people who don’t think they are worth anything to anyone except those whom nature has enforced the responsibility on; who get easily lost in any crowd, those who think they have no showcase-able talent, those who believe that if they stay in their houses for three months, only their landlords will come to visit them, and even that is to collect the month’s rent; those whose parents never call them and the only time they talk to each other is when they are asking for money, and their parents non-comittally give it to them; those who believe life has not dealt them a fair hand or given them a fair chance, while bestowing multiple talents and opportunities on others.
The problem with this line of thinking is that, the Bible has said that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he: whoever thinks that he/she is nobody will be nobody. This means that the individual will not amount to much in life, he will always despise other people, and will live in a constant state of depression, useless to himself and his society. He always sees himself as less than average. He will constantly pass up opportunities to progress and grow, thinking that such are only meant for those who have been ‘well-endowed’ with skill and potential. He will also doubt the fact that God loves him, or has any interest in him, or might even accuse God of creating him as a defective product. The individual may not exhibit all the described features, but that individual is definitely looking at a lower quality of life.
Now, on a personal note, after hearing how much those sparrows cost, I’m not sure I want to be referred to as such, but at least the first four had some value. Imagine being the fifth sparrow, the one with no value among those with so little value in themselves.
God said in Matt. 10 that even the hairs of your head are counted (v. 30). Who counts hair? No one does, but to know that God has, that adds a sense of worth. If God knows detail as minute as how many strands of hair I have on my head, if He cares and knows about things that I don’t even regard in the first place, then He definitely knows about what I am going through in my life, about my weaknesses, my short-comings, my strengths, my social life, my academics, my workplace, everything. He also goes on to say that nothing happens to any one of these birds without His knowledge, and then He says that I am worth more than many sparrows. If God pays so much attention to these little birds, and I am worth more, it means, without any doubt in my mind, that I am special.
If I realize that God values me so dearly, then I would claim everything He has said about me; He has made so many promises to me, and I believe every single one for myself. I have no reason to be depressed about anything because the joy of the Lord is my strength; I have no reason to dread an empty pocket because God gives me power to create wealth. I am not concerned about how people perceive me or observe me because I am created in God’s image.
Unwittingly, many people have been called, and have referred to themselves as a ‘Fifth Sparrow’; but even then, God loves you, and He cares for you to pin-point perfection, taking note of the things you don’t and constantly looking out for you. God sees you as worth something; you should too.
