"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.
And now for a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself all ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and keep my commandments."
JST Matthew 16:25-26
The clarification here from the Joseph Smith Translation lets us know specifically what God asks us to do when he tells us to deny ourselves and take up our crosses. It's what Christ did in allowing himself to be lifted up on the cross... he did the father's will even though it wasn't his own will. He has the power to safe himself, but he chose to stick to the Lord's plan and let go of his own wishes.
Sometimes we think that what we want is somehow owed to us, no matter what it is, no matter how bad our lives would end up if we got it, and we complain loudly when we get something else instead. Here, God is actually telling us that we can't always have what we want, and that sometimes we need to sacrifice our own desires and do what God asks instead. To clarify God's position, later in this chapter it says "Break not my commandments for to save your lives" (verse 27) and "forsake the world, and save your souls" (verse 29). His plan will save us. Our own will definitely not.
Today, let's think about what taking up our crosses means, and let's be willing to sacrifice what we want for what God wants. ... In the end, what he wants is going to be far superior than anything we could come up with, and better for everyone. Let's have faith in that, and work on letting go of things that are contrary to his will, no matter how invested we are.
And now for a man to take up his cross, is to deny himself all ungodliness, and every worldly lust, and keep my commandments."
JST Matthew 16:25-26
The clarification here from the Joseph Smith Translation lets us know specifically what God asks us to do when he tells us to deny ourselves and take up our crosses. It's what Christ did in allowing himself to be lifted up on the cross... he did the father's will even though it wasn't his own will. He has the power to safe himself, but he chose to stick to the Lord's plan and let go of his own wishes.
Sometimes we think that what we want is somehow owed to us, no matter what it is, no matter how bad our lives would end up if we got it, and we complain loudly when we get something else instead. Here, God is actually telling us that we can't always have what we want, and that sometimes we need to sacrifice our own desires and do what God asks instead. To clarify God's position, later in this chapter it says "Break not my commandments for to save your lives" (verse 27) and "forsake the world, and save your souls" (verse 29). His plan will save us. Our own will definitely not.
Today, let's think about what taking up our crosses means, and let's be willing to sacrifice what we want for what God wants. ... In the end, what he wants is going to be far superior than anything we could come up with, and better for everyone. Let's have faith in that, and work on letting go of things that are contrary to his will, no matter how invested we are.
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