Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share APRIL 24-Willing to Die, But Not to Live
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
APRIL 24-Willing to Die, But Not to Live
The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon
“Jesus answered, ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow later.’ Peter said to him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow you right now? I will lay down my life for you.’”
—John 13:36–37
Peter said this right before Jesus’s arrest, and I’m sure he was sincere . . . he just didn’t quite understand what following Jesus would mean.
The next day, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant in defense of Jesus. Had others taken up weapons, I think Peter would’ve gladly fought to the death.
He was willing to fight but not to surrender.
He was willing to die in body but not to die to self.
He was willing to go out in a blaze of glory but not to humbly surrender without fanfare.
He was willing to die for Christ but not yet willing to live for him.
Dying for Christ looks noble and sacrificial, but it only takes a few moments of courage. Living for him requires laying down our lives over and over in all the drudgery of daily life.
It requires turning the other cheek, loving our enemies (Matthew 5:38–48), and being willing to be hated as Christ was hated (Matthew 10:24–25). It requires living in humility (Philippians 2:3–4), not seeking our own desires but focusing on the eternal destiny of others (1 Corinthians 10:33), being a servant (Matthew 20:26), and battling our flesh and all the worldly and spiritual forces that come against us (Galatians 5:17; Ephesians 6:12).
Let us lay down our swords and self–important ideas of a glory–seeking battle and die daily (1 Corinthians 15:31) in order to take up our crosses and truly follow Jesus (Luke 9:23).
The post APRIL 24-Willing to Die, But Not to Live appeared first on C. E. White.
View all episodes
The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon
“Jesus answered, ‘Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow later.’ Peter said to him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow you right now? I will lay down my life for you.’”
—John 13:36–37
Peter said this right before Jesus’s arrest, and I’m sure he was sincere . . . he just didn’t quite understand what following Jesus would mean.
The next day, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant in defense of Jesus. Had others taken up weapons, I think Peter would’ve gladly fought to the death.
He was willing to fight but not to surrender.
He was willing to die in body but not to die to self.
He was willing to go out in a blaze of glory but not to humbly surrender without fanfare.
He was willing to die for Christ but not yet willing to live for him.
Dying for Christ looks noble and sacrificial, but it only takes a few moments of courage. Living for him requires laying down our lives over and over in all the drudgery of daily life.
It requires turning the other cheek, loving our enemies (Matthew 5:38–48), and being willing to be hated as Christ was hated (Matthew 10:24–25). It requires living in humility (Philippians 2:3–4), not seeking our own desires but focusing on the eternal destiny of others (1 Corinthians 10:33), being a servant (Matthew 20:26), and battling our flesh and all the worldly and spiritual forces that come against us (Galatians 5:17; Ephesians 6:12).
Let us lay down our swords and self–important ideas of a glory–seeking battle and die daily (1 Corinthians 15:31) in order to take up our crosses and truly follow Jesus (Luke 9:23).
The post APRIL 24-Willing to Die, But Not to Live appeared first on C. E. White.