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banthis
7th December 2007, 03:16 AM
Consider this parable of the Messiah:

Luke14:7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,
Luke14:8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
Luke14:9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
Luke14:10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
Luke14:11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Luke14:12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
Luke14:13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
Luke14:14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

When you're called to a feast, in the here-and-now real life, would you (as part of your oh so humble nature), take the lowest seat? Indeed, it is only by the Holy Spirit, by his grace through Jesus' name, that we can be a good disciple in this life and in this life take the lowest seat and obey that teaching.

Mat28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Obey Jesus and obey Jesus' teachings. Don't say I didn't tell you!

PM me if you need prayer.

Mark11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
Mark11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mark11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

banthis
7th December 2007, 03:20 AM
Luke6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

"Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me."

Mat16:24 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.

Deny himself -> sell all that thou hast
Take up his cross -> distribute unto the poor
(and thou shalt have treasure in heaven)...
and follow me -> and come, follow me

interesting parallels no? oh yes.

Shiversblood
7th December 2007, 10:23 AM
Always take the high road.

MaidforHim
7th December 2007, 01:25 PM
I think I would naturally take the lowest seat, because I don't feel like I'm any more special than anyone else.

But I wouldn't know how to, and might even be affraid to invite strangers to dinner. :|

IisJustMe
7th December 2007, 03:51 PM
Deny himself -> sell all that thou hast
Take up his cross -> distribute unto the poor
(and thou shalt have treasure in heaven)...
and follow me -> and come, follow me

interesting parallels no? oh yes.They would be if they are related verses, but they are not. The second line you quote is no where near Luke chapter six, but is from Luke 18:22. The context is a chastisement to the young ruler for being arrogant enough to believe he had perfectly kept the Law. Denying one's self means to give up your rights to yourself, to thinking of yourself as your own possession and beginning to think of yourself, as a believer, that you are Christ's possession.

To understand what it means to "take our cross" and follow Him, we must understand what Christ's cross was. It was a punishment He bore that He did not deserve -- our sins. So our cross would also be punishment or circumstance we do not deserve -- the reviling and rejection of a world that will not accept who He has made us to be. It has nothing to do with possessions or poverty imposed for the sake of the gospel. It has to do with the persecution we as believers face, from mere distaste for us by acquaintances because of our faith, to the actual sacrifice of life made by believers for their faith in may corners of the world today.

The gift of heaven is already ours. The treasure we lay up in heaven, the crowns we will cast at Jesus' feet, are the rewards of having served Him well in this life by living out loud the faith He has given us in the first place.