Mark 8:34  “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Yes, deny yourself.  Sounds kinda easy, right?  When you try to do so, it is harder than it sounds!  We struggle daily to overcome our sin nature.  Just when we think we have accomplished the task, we fall.  Or at least, I do!  There is the secular Christmas song, “All I Want for Christmas is You,”  and it can remind us that we do want our all to be for Jesus.  However, we must remind ourselves that secular wishes will not get rid of our sin nature.  Doing good things for others will not save us from our sins.  The Bible is plain on this–we can even cast out demons in the name of Jesus, but if our heart has not love (Jesus), we miss salvation.  We will hear the words, “Depart from Me, I never knew you.”

We must take up our own cross daily.  That means we must deny our fleshly desires and love others unconditionally.  Jesus knows our hearts!  This is the season to get our hearts right and deny ourselves.  Let’s do it! 

1 Corinthians 13:2  “If I Have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

Most people would give anything to be able to super naturally move things.  I suppose that is why super-hero movies are so popular. From a young age, children want to be Batman or Superman or Wonder Woman. Yet, we are told in the above scripture that being able to do so is worthless if we do not have love in our hearts.  The Bible plainly tells us that the devil has powers on this earth and can do supernatural things.  There are those people who have willingly given their souls to the devil to do those powerful deeds. What is sad is that some of those people will commit acts of healing and miracles.  But, because they are doing so out of selfishness and not love, they will be told to depart from Jesus as He does not know them.  Matthew 7:22 tells us about this fact. (New Living Translation) On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’  How can this be?  How can these miracles be worked in the name of Jesus and yet the individual doing them will hear the dreaded words in verse 23?  “Depart from me, for I never knew you.”  This person lacked the love of Jesus.  They had the head knowledge and got the miracles they asked for, but they did not have the heart knowledge of love.  How sad it is for someone to think they will be saved on Judgment Day, only to find out they did not understand love.

With great power comes the responsibility of love for all mankind.  Jesus showed that love when He was willing to die on Calvary’s cross for our sins. He could have called a legion of angels to save Him; yet, Jesus knew that love was more important than power.  Like it says in 1 Corinthians 13,  “love conquers all.”  The devil does not understand this.  The world does not understand this!  Jesus came to show us this love.  We are to practice the love of Jesus daily in all of our dealings with others.  We are to love the unlovable. You might say, “That is just too hard!” Oh yes, it is hard to forgive those who are mean to you and use you and make fun of you.  But, we are called to forgive and love.  Let love surround you and teach you this Christmas season.  Allow the love of Jesus to shine with all you come into contact.