Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Which will be your choice?

Sometimes, as christians, we are pulled between wanting our friends and acquaintances to like us and doing what God has asked us to do.   In life, we all experience this in one way or another....the pull of wanting to "fit in" and "conform" vs the desire to obedience to the One who causes us to "stand out". One of my devotions today really hit home and I wanted to share it with you:

If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want.  They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me.  Mark 8:34

On one side stands the crowd.

Jeering. Baiting. Demanding.

On the other stands a peasant.

Swollen lips. Lumpy eye. Lofty promise.

One promises acceptance the other a cross.

One offers flesh and flash, the other offers faith.

The crowd challenges, "Follow us and fit in."

Jesus promises, "Follow me and stand out."

They promise to please.  God promises to save.

God looks at you and asks, "Which will be your choice?"


My choice today is to follow and stand out.  What will be your choice?

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7 comments:

Esthermay Bentley-Goossen said...

OH! What a timely post for my husband and myself. Ministry is tough -- and as surprising as it may seem to the regular "churchgoer," those in ministry deal with this almost daily in today's world. Standing firm on God's Word very often involves jeering and physical and financial sacrifice -- among MANY other things.
:-)
. . . Thank you for sharing your journey. These kind of posts ABSOLUTELY encourage the rest of us.
~esthermay

Jamie said...

Me too...I choose to follow and stand out! Great post!

Rach@In His Hands said...

This is a perfect reminder...thanks for sharing!
Standing in Him....

Sara@iSass said...

I love standing out. (at least when it comes to family.) I have lost many "friends" because I would no longer conform to their standards or they weren't willing to give up things to join me. Hallelujah! That He is on our side? Great post.

Unknown said...

I struggle with this every day. I'll keep your blog in my mind today as I am out as my children's school and the gym.

SmilingSally said...

Long ago I choose to follow Him.

Ohilda said...

Amen, my sister! I am standing right next to you saying, "Lord, I choose to stand out!"

Hugs,

Ohilda

PS Thank you so much for the prayers for Anna Grace.