Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY and FOLLOW ME." Luke 9:23
Jesus also said, "FOLLOW ME, and I will make you FISHERS OF MEN." Matthew 4:19
So in Luke 9:23, taking up our cross is connected with following him, and in Mark 4:19, following him is connected with fishing for men. So, the taking up of our cross is connected with fishing for men.
One may ask, "How do I become a fisher of men?"
According to Matthew 4:19, we become "a fisher of men" by FOLLOWING JESUS.
How do we FOLLOW JESUS? We examine the object of our faith...
"... let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1b-2
How do we FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS?
We meditate on these passages for weeks or months... until those words become a part of what we are.
"I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation" (Psalm 119:99).
How do we meditate?
We pray the scriptures... We talk to our Lord about every sentence, word and phrase in these scriptures... then repeat them, pray them, repeat them, pray them...
THEN, we memorize them so we can talk to our Lord about them as we are going to sleep, waking up, standing in line, sitting at red lights. We ask him questions. We ask him to give us the power to live the scriptures, that he will live them in us.
This is much easier than wrote memorization… Much more profitable… Because as we prayerfully interact with our Lord through his living word, his word takes deep roots within our spirits and empowers us with his power, and he reminds us of his words at the opportune time! (Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:14-19, John 14:26).
For the first verse to meditate on, we can pick one of these verses... one that your heart is drawn to...
By the way, Philippians 2:5-11 and 2 Corinthians 4:10 provide additional insight into our cross.
If our Lord should lead you to meditate on any of the above passages, please pray them for others who belong to Christ, as you pray them for yourself... and as I have prayed them for you.
If you wish to walk with God... in the intimacy of the Holy Spirit...click here to read the introduction to the free, online book, Fellowship with God in the Sixth Path.
God Bless!
Jim Phillips