Last night I started to watch The Passion of the Christ and finished it tonight. Oh my gosh. What a reminder of how much Jesus loves us. What gets me is that he says "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." - Luke 23:34 RIGHT after they nail him to the cross. What love. What forgiveness.
Watching the movie got me thinking of the verse:
Luke 9:23 - Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
After seeing the brutality of what Jesus went through on the cross (as best as I can see it by watching a movie made 2000 years after Jesus actually died..) I don't even know what it means to take up my cross. I realize it means following Jesus life and example. He loved his enemies. He forgives them. He cares for the poor and the widows and the fatherless. He shows mercy to those who don't deserve it. He is the ultimate example of love, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. I get all that. But what does it REALLY MEAN in my day to day life? Jesus said his followers will be persecuted. I haven't really been persecuted in my life. Not really. I don't have people hate me for following Jesus.
So I guess this post isn't so much of what I know as so much of what I don't know? I don't know what it means to deny myself, pick up my cross and follow Jesus. Maybe I have the head knowledge to an extent, but I'm not sure I'm really living it out. I shall continue to ponder this.
What I do know is that Jesus was glad to go to the cross for us. He did it in love. He chose it. He IS love.
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