Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
“There are clearly big themes in Scripture that we need to have informing and shaping our spirituality.
So, for instance, because the New Testament revolves around the person, cross, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, so must our spirituality. Because God cares passionately about the world He created, so we too must include stewardship of creation in our understanding of spirituality.
Because He loves and yearn over His world, so must we. Because He is just and looks for justice in human societies, we must work for justice in human societies, we must work for justice too, with special care for the widows and orphans and aliens (migrants) whose number explodes today all over the world.
In a world fixated on acquiring wealth and status we will live by different values of simplicity and humility, generosity and thankfulness. In a world that sees this life as all there is and an end in itself, we will live in the light of eternity and that infinite canvas against which earthly life is painted.
In a world often obsessed with avoiding suffering and seeking comfort, we will accept that suffering is an intrinsic part of following Christ as He calls us to take up not a sofa but a cross.”
Rose Dowsett in the conclusion to “Biblical and Theological Reflections on Christian Spirituality” in Spirituality in Mission: Embracing the Lifelong Journey (Globalization of Mission; New Kensington: William Carey Library, 2018).
Special thanks to Doug Christensen for alerting me to this book.
What if Christians everywhere coming out of COVID aimed at simplicity, humility, and generosity instead of self-preservation, comfort, and the avoidance of all suffering?
People would see us denying ourselves and taking up our crosses rather than our sofas. What’s your sofa? I don’t mean your chair at home where you read or rest, I mean what comfort do you try to preserve.
If we published the balance sheets of ministries personal bank accounts of believers to the world, would they reveal we are building wealth or distributing it?
Want some inspiration to offer Hope and Help in Times of Crisis?
Click to register for a free webinar tomorrow at 5am Denver Time. I will speak with fellow author, Roger Lam, and GTP colleagues, Ereny Monir and Trevor Lui.