Many of you have acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah (Mk 8:29). You have even accepted Him as your Savior. After being overwhelmed by life's problems, you're happy to be saved. But who wants a Lord? Who wants to be told what to do and give up getting their own way? Nevertheless, some have even accepted Jesus as Lord.
The next step is to know the Lord so deeply as to recognize He is Lord God. Now we not only obey Him but worship Him. After we acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, Savior, Lord, and God, He begins to teach us about suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection (Mk 8:31). Like Peter, we want to brush off such overwhelming realities (Mk 8:32).
Now we must decide if we will accept a suffering Messiah and crucified Savior. Instinctively, we know that followers of a crucified Lord and God will also be crucified. We must say: "I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:19-20).
| PRAYER: | Jesus, my Lord, my God (Jn 20:28), my crucified God, I worship You. |
| PROMISE: | "Did not God choose those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom He promised to those who love Him?" –Jas 2:5 |
| PRAISE: | Seven young noblemen, after settling their secular affairs, were inspired to establish the "Ordo Fratrum Servorum Sanctae Mariae." Popularly called the Servites, they devoted themselves to prayer and ministry. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College