And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. — Mark 8:31

One thing is to know that Jesus is God’s Messiah. Another thing is to follow Jesus as our Lord. It’s always hard to get our minds, hearts, and lives to all work together. When Jesus’ followers admitted that he was the Christ, he knew he had to show them the real way to heaven. Each of the Gospels reminds us that this path led to the cross of suffering before it led to the crown of glory. It was put into a song that reminded the early church that they, too, had to walk that same road (cf. Philippians 2:5-11). We are going to heaven, but Satan will try to stop us and beat us up along the way, so we know there will be potholes, bumps, and even steep hills to climb. Our Savior, on the other hand, has already been down this path, and he is a great reminder that it will lead us to share in his glory.

 

Thought

One thing is to know that Jesus is God’s Messiah. Another thing is to follow Jesus as our Lord. It’s always hard to get our minds, hearts, and lives to all work together. When Jesus’ followers admitted that he was the Christ, he knew he had to show them the real way to heaven. Each of the Gospels reminds us that this path led to the cross of suffering before it led to the crown of glory. It was put into a song that reminded the early church that they, too, had to walk that same road (cf. Philippians 2:5-11). We are going to heaven, but Satan will try to stop us and beat us up along the way, so we know there will be potholes, bumps, and even steep hills to climb. Our Savior, on the other hand, has already been down this path, and he is a great reminder that it will lead us to share in his glory.

 

Prayer

Dear Father, I know a few Christians who are having a hard time following Jesus in a faithful way. Please, dear LORD, I ask that you give them the strength and courage to keep going, and that you use me to encourage them and help them through this dark time in their lives. I want to give you the names of a few people and ask you to bless them. In Jesus’ precious name I pray. Amen.