Following Christ
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
The Lord has a plan for each of us, and he will reveal it to us as we follow Christ each day. If we are motivated to serve the Lord each day, to deny self, and to take up our cross, God’s plan will be revealed to us. As we continue serving the Lord and praying that He opens doors for us, a door will open for another opportunity to minister, for example, teaching a Bible class, hosting a prayer breakfast, or mentoring someone.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7-8) It’s God’s love in our hearts that motivates us to serve the Lord, to pray for the Lord to open doors, and to pray for His guidance. The most fulfilling life is serving the Lord by pointing people to Christ because we are created to have hearts of love.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV) Love drives us to be steadfast and immovable in serving the Lord. Nothing will stop us from completing the Lord’s assignment. It’s always good to minister in pairs because iron sharpens iron, and if one person can’t make the class, the other can still teach it.
Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. (Psalm 119:35 NASB) We pray each day for the Lord to guide us and to be with us in ministering to others. The Lord is pleased to be with us because we delight in serving the Lord and it is our priority in life. There are times when we are tired and we may not feel like going to a class. However, when the love in our hearts motivates us to go, our spirits are revived and rekindled during the class. Afterward, there is great peace and comfort that comes from serving the Lord.
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19) Jesus did whatever the Father was doing, and He could do nothing without the Father. It’s the same for us, we do whatever Christ is doing and we can do nothing without Christ. Christ lives in our hearts through the Spirit. He changes the desires of our hearts if we seek His guidance through each day.
Today, pray for the Lord’s guidance with the desire to bring Christ to others. As we serve the Lord, love increases in our hearts, thereby increasing our desire to serve the Lord. This is the Lord’s plan for us to make us more like Jesus with hearts filled with love.
Prayer: Lord, guide me today to be a Light for Christ. Continue filling my heart with your divine love and always increase my desire to live for Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.