More Than a Little Piece

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading today titled More Than a Little Peace was written by Marvin Williams. We all leave a bit of ourselves behind when we move to a new place. But to become a long-term resident of Villas Las Estrellas, Antarctica, a cold and desolate place, leaving a piece of yourself behind is a literal thing.

With the nearest hospital 625 miles away, a person will be in serious trouble if their appendix bursts, so every citizen must first undergo an appendectomy before moving there. Drastic, right? But it's not as drastic as becoming a resident of the kingdom of God. Because people want to follow Jesus on their own terms and not His, He redefines what it means to be a disciple. In Matthew chapter 16, he said, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. This includes being prepared to let go of anything that competes with Him and His kingdom. And as we take up our cross, we declare a willingness to undergo social and political oppression and even death for the sake of devotion to Christ. Along with letting go and taking up, we're also to take on a willingness to truly follow Him. This is a moment-by-moment posture of following His lead as He guides us into service and sacrifice. Following Jesus means so much more than leaving a little piece of our lives behind. As He helps us, it's about submitting and surrendering our whole lives, including our bodies, to Him alone.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 16 verses 21 through 28. From that time on, Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. Never, Lord, He said, this shall never happen to you. Jesus turned and said to Peter, Get behind me, Satan.

You are a stumbling block to me. You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns. Then Jesus said to His disciples, Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done. Truly, I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Let's pray.