Mark 8 -- Who Do YOU Say I am?

Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say I am?"  That's the priceless question!  "Your confession concerning Jesus Christ is a matter of life or death," my commentary says.  "The only confession that saves us is 'Jesus is Lord!' when that confession comes from a heart that truly believes in Him ... In His words and His works, Jesus gave every evidence to the people that He was the Son of God, the Messiah, and yet they did not get the message... Instead of diligently seeking for the truth, the people listened to popular opinion and followed it, just as many people do today.  They had opinions instead of convictions, and this is what led them astray."

When He then told them that He would die on the cross, "this announcement stunned the disciples.  If He is indeed the Christ of God, then why would He be rejected by the religious leaders?  Why would thy crucify Him? ... There was something wrong somewhere and the disciples were confused ... Peter began rebuking his Master ... His protest was born out of his ignorance of God's will and his deep love for His Lord ... The man who loves Jesus, but who shuns God's method, is a stumbling block to Him.  Peter did not yet understand the relationship between suffering and glory ... In spite of their devotion to Him, the disciples were still ignorant of the true relationship between the cross and the crown.  They were following Satan's philosophy (glory without suffering) instead of God's philosophy (suffering transformed into glory).  Which philosophy you accept will determine how you live and how you serve."

"Jesus laid down three conditions for true discipleship:  1) We must surrender ourselves completely to Him; 2) we must identify with Him in suffering and death; and 3) we must follow Him obediently, wherever He leads.  If we live for ourselves, we will lose ourselves, but if we lose ourselves for His sake and the gospel's, we will find ourselves.  We deny ourselves when we surrender ourselves to Christ and determine to obey His will.  This once-for-all dedication is followed by a daily 'dying to self' as we take up the cross and follow Him ... When we live for Christ, we become more like Him, and this brings out our own unique individuality."

Father, I've made that once-for-all choice to dedicate myself to Your will.  Help me to follow through strongly in my daily dying to self.  Help me to live for You and not miss any opportunities You place before me.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford