Based on Luke 9:23-36 (New King James Version)
“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.’ Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!’ When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.”
Many people today establish goals for different things, for things they want to achieve, or rather, they give themselves reasons to do something, or to strive for, to be able to obtain certain things. For example, there are children that develop an interest for something when they are small, they have a passion within themselves, like wanting to be an artist, or a doctor, or a police officer, or a soldier, or other things, and they start to strive for that goal then. Others look for a spouse. There are people that strive to have children. There are people that strive to have material possessions, like having a house or other things. There are people that strive to have their own business. There are people that leave their own countries with the hope of having a different life. And there are those that strive to follow a religion with the goal to find some sort of happiness here or something later on. In summary, most people have given themselves a reason to strive for, to be able to obtain what they want, with the goal to gain some sort of happiness when coming to obtain that which they desire so much.
Now then, many different types of reasons for striving have been mentioned, and I use the word “strive” because everything in this life is difficult, especially when striving for good things, right? Those that strive for a career dedicate themselves for years to achieve that goal, spending a lot of money, abstaining from different things, sacrificing a lot of time and other things, so they can obtain what they want. Being able to have a good marriage is not easy either. It is hard to find a person that is appropriate for that, because not everyone today thinks about marriage the way it should be and that is why many fail at it. Everything at the beginning of marriage is nice, full of excitement and dreams, but marriage is not for one day, nor for one month, nor for a few years, but rather, until death do you part. In marriage, there are good times and bad times. There is wealth and poverty. There is health and sickness. There are great joys and pleasures, and also great sadness and sorrow, in summary, all kinds of things happen within a marriage. Having children is not easy for many either, because it’s not just about making them or having them, but it’s also about raising them, taking care of them, and educating them, and they are there all your life. A person does not stop being a parent when their son or daughter turn 18, so then, it can be a very long and extended road, with many sacrifices, if things are done well. And well, it is not easy to obtain wealth when desired. It is many times hard enough to obtain what is necessary, so how much harder should it be to obtain those things that go beyond what is necessary? And starting a business is not so difficult, but what is difficult is maintaining a business, making it stable, and continuing to make it produce. That could take years and much sacrifice as well. And of course, how difficult is life for those that leave their countries and journey to start again in others! There are some that even lose their lives in the process. There are many that can make it, but once there, they find new and unanticipated challenges. And referring to religion, there are many people that do incredible things for their beliefs, and they sacrifice their own lives for an ideology. If you don’t believe that, you should remember the 9-11 attacks on the US. And in all of this, there are many that give up along the way because they cannot pay the price that it costs to have what they want. And of course, others fail and because of different reasons.
So then, what does this have to do with passage we read? It has to do with everything. None of the things mentioned are bad within themselves. But, everything that has been mentioned is temporary, and getting to the goal does not guarantee happiness. Many people come to obtain what they want, and when they get there, they think, “What now?” Others may say, “This is not what I thought it was going to be!” And of course, there are others that feel somewhat content, but their happiness lasts a little while. But absolutely everything in this world is temporary, vulnerable to destruction, limited, and illusory. Just as the preacher said: “‘Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’” Ecclesiastes 1:2. There is however something, or rather, Someone that is worth striving for, and He is neither an illusion, nor a vanity, nor far less, something passing or temporary. And this cannot be found in a religion, but rather, it can be found in having a relationship with this Someone who we owe everything to, and He can give us things that we cannot even imagine. That is why, if we understand the passage well, it is worthwhile taking on the cross of Christ because Christ is worthwhile, because He did something that nothing or no one else has done for us. Not only did He create us like the Scriptures teach us, but He also gave His life to save us from our sins. He broke our destiny which was hell, so that we could have eternal life. And as the Scripture says: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Everything God offers through Jesus Christ, starting with having Him in our heart, is worth not just living for Him, but also dying for Him. Everything in this life ends, but He remains forever, and His love for us is real and for all eternity. So then, are you taking up your cross for Christ, or is your reason for living still for inferior and/or temporary things? Lord bless! John