Dave Dishman

In the days before his arrest, Jesus shared these words with his disciples: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?

Don’t you imagine this statement rang in the ears of those men as they watched Jesus carry his own cross to Golgotha? The cross was an instrument of death. Jesus told his closest followers, bring your instrument of death along, because you will die for me. Die they did. Only one of the twelve lived on to old age while the rest were martyred, including Peter crucified upside down on his own cross.

What motivated such bravery and devotion? Meeting the resurrected Jesus and experiencing the powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit flipped a switch. Fear succumbed to confidence. Even violent mobs bent on silencing these emissaries of God failed to dampen their resolve.

Following Jesus still leads to death. Death to reputation, death to acceptance, death to friendships, death to likes, death to promotion, and even physical death in some places. But when I determine to identify with Jesus, full-speed ahead and not caring who knows, my angst fades. Whatever I lose, I lose. So be it. Resolve fuels fearlessness—what can anyone do to me?

It’s actually freeing to take up the cross. As you look your community square in the eye and let people know you follow Jesus, you’ll gain your soul and the souls of others. Nothing greater exists in this marvelous world of ours. Jesus calls us to go all in, and in so doing experience the wonders of a life with him.

Matthew 16:24-26

Photo by Nikola Tomašić

Hosea, in the last breath of his prophetic message to the nations of Israel and Judah, closed with this plea: Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them.

The wise walk in the ways of the Lord. The discerning take a long look at the world around them and notice that people who follow the teachings of the Bible live better lives. Not perfect lives, nor lives free from heartache or anguish or tragedy, just better. Better relationships. A growing ability to love others. Calmness of soul. Hope.

Take a long look around for yourself. Go below the surface. Get past the bling bought by money and notoriety. What do you find appealing? An astute observer will discover that people quietly following the Lord enjoy lives to emulate. Then a discriminating person will shift his or her life in the same direction. Be wise, keep the faith, and a life you’re proud to live will follow.

Hosea 14:9

Photo by Gadiel Lazcano

As children we hone a skill of appearing sad in order to get something we want. The ploy still works as an adult, as I finagle that last piece of blackberry cobbler from my wife by feigning distress. She sees through my ruse and is kind enough to pass the dessert anyway. I could have come clean from the start.

The Lord pushed back on the source of Ephraim’s tears: They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves; they rebel against me.

God punished Israel for deserting him and embracing foreign gods. As things got worse (drought, famine, impending invasion), the people cried out. But even though they shrieked and sobbed and cut themselves, they never turned their hearts back to God. They hoped fake tears would lead to full stomachs.

The prophet Amos wrote that they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. These people hoped for blessings without obedience. They wanted to live life on their own terms and enjoy the the good hand of the Lord. They expected God’s favor regardless of their actions. They cried, didn’t God create us to live our best lives?

Actually, God created us to follow him. Our best lives result from this practice. Crocodile tears fall flat before the one who knows our most private thoughts. One cannot manipulate the Lord. It’s better to come clean from the start.

Hosea 7:14; 8:7

Photo by Bro Takes Photos

I had a unique math teacher in high school who liked to quote Scripture. He would place us in pairs to work on difficult problems in our pre-calculus class. If the team got the problem wrong he often remarked, if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.

Yesterday I finished listening to a book about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Superior in 1975. No one is certain why the boat sank, but one theory holds that due to faulty maps and busted radar the ship ran over a shallow shoal as a massive storm pushed it slightly off course. The damaged hull allowed water to slowly enter and drag it to the bottom. The blind (bad maps and radar) leading the blind (a captain in the middle of raging seas with blizzard conditions in the black of night) led to disaster.

I find myself tempted to follow blind guides. When I swear allegiance to a political party and never question any policies or positions, then I’m guilty. Or when I disagree with someone’s idea simply because I do not like that person rather than evaluate their argument, I’ve made a blind decision. I choose the blind way when I make life choices outside the bounds of Scripture.

Jesus spoke these words in reference to the teachings of certain Pharisees over hand-washing. These men focused on presenting as pious rather than turning their hearts toward the Lord. When I decide that my image trumps my obedience to loving my neighbor, then I’ve taken a turn toward blindness.

If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit. Blind guides exist everywhere in our modern world, making this one of the most applicable warnings Jesus ever uttered. What’s the solution? The Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit bring sight to the blind. Take the cure and avoid tumbling into the pit.

Matthew 15:14

Photo by David Underland