"Good Day" is my prayer for you as I write my weekly letter. May it be a word of encouragement, from my house to your house.
Most of us at one time are another, when traveling throughout the nation have come into new cities or towns and have been met with traffic signs that say, BY-PASS. Today, my subject for what I am writing to you, I have the idea of BY-PASS, on my mind. W.C. Fields the Vaudeville comedian is said to have a visitor in the last days of his life. Fields was known to be a vulgar and uncouth man, not to have had morality, which could be celebrated. When the friend walked in the room Fields was reading a Bible and had a bottle of whiskey on the nightstand.
"W.C.!! W.C.!! he exclaimed, have you got religion?" Fields replied, "No, my good man! I'm just looking for a loophole, just looking for a loophole."
There is no way around it; there is no so-called way around it, no By-Pass.
Luke 9:23-27 makes it very plain for all to see:
The King James Translation puts it in a simpler way:
This of course the language of heaven.
It is called SELF DENIAL. It is the lifestyle illustrated by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This follows Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Christ after which, if you take time to notice, Jesus begins to speak primarily about His death. Peter then tries to discourage Jesus from what He is talking about: going to the Cross. It appears that Peter wants Jesus to BY-PASS THE CROSS. This is not only what Jesus is saying, in regard to Himself however, but it is the path for disciples as well.
Did you know that some theologians try to circumvent the Cross in their daily lives? The greatest hindrance to our living the Christ Life is SELF. Some would say that the greatest hindrance to becoming an overcomer, is "SIN." We can use a shorter word than this. You may ask how can we do that? The word is "I." It is "I" that creates an incompatibility with God. The center letter in SIN is "I." We cannot follow Christ if we are not willing to DENY SELF. Have you denied self? Are you prepared to DENY SELF? You may have never considered this, but self in me and self in Judas are one and the same. Can we say the same thing that Paul does in Romans 7:18?
Can you or have you ever thought about how religious self really is? Remember that our right to ourselves is the greatest hindrance?
Philippians 3:3 is something to think about today. Let's start the day with this one thing in mind, "If any man come after me let him take up his cross."
Take up your cross today and join the march that leads to victory.
NO BYPASS
I believe in you,
Cleddie Keith
Most of us at one time are another, when traveling throughout the nation have come into new cities or towns and have been met with traffic signs that say, BY-PASS. Today, my subject for what I am writing to you, I have the idea of BY-PASS, on my mind. W.C. Fields the Vaudeville comedian is said to have a visitor in the last days of his life. Fields was known to be a vulgar and uncouth man, not to have had morality, which could be celebrated. When the friend walked in the room Fields was reading a Bible and had a bottle of whiskey on the nightstand.
"W.C.!! W.C.!! he exclaimed, have you got religion?" Fields replied, "No, my good man! I'm just looking for a loophole, just looking for a loophole."
There is no way around it; there is no so-called way around it, no By-Pass.
Luke 9:23-27 makes it very plain for all to see:
"Then he told them what they could expect for themselves: "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? If any of you is embarrassed with me and the way I'm leading you, know that the Son of Man will be far more embarrassed with you when he arrives in all his splendor in company with the Father and the holy angels. This isn't, you realize, pie in the sky by and by. Some who have taken their stand right here are going to see it happen, see with their own eyes the kingdom of God."
The Message
The King James Translation puts it in a simpler way:
"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
Luke 9:23
This of course the language of heaven.
It is called SELF DENIAL. It is the lifestyle illustrated by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This follows Peter's declaration that Jesus is the Christ after which, if you take time to notice, Jesus begins to speak primarily about His death. Peter then tries to discourage Jesus from what He is talking about: going to the Cross. It appears that Peter wants Jesus to BY-PASS THE CROSS. This is not only what Jesus is saying, in regard to Himself however, but it is the path for disciples as well.
Did you know that some theologians try to circumvent the Cross in their daily lives? The greatest hindrance to our living the Christ Life is SELF. Some would say that the greatest hindrance to becoming an overcomer, is "SIN." We can use a shorter word than this. You may ask how can we do that? The word is "I." It is "I" that creates an incompatibility with God. The center letter in SIN is "I." We cannot follow Christ if we are not willing to DENY SELF. Have you denied self? Are you prepared to DENY SELF? You may have never considered this, but self in me and self in Judas are one and the same. Can we say the same thing that Paul does in Romans 7:18?
"I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing."
Can you or have you ever thought about how religious self really is? Remember that our right to ourselves is the greatest hindrance?
"Have no confidence in the flesh."
Philippians 3:3 is something to think about today. Let's start the day with this one thing in mind, "If any man come after me let him take up his cross."
Take up your cross today and join the march that leads to victory.
NO BYPASS
I believe in you,
Cleddie Keith