Serve serve serve!!

Okay, there are two verses that really stuck out to me and made me think.

"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"

  This is a tough one for me.  Thinking about what this really means.. to deny myself.. denying the things that I want for myself.. That is a lot easier said than done.  Relying wholly on Jesus and accepting that what He wants for me is all that matters is so hard for me.  I really like having control in my life.  I like knowing what I am doing every step of the way.  But a realization I have had is that the times that I have denied myself and relied on the Lord have been the most humbling and satisfying times of my life.  I get so worried about every little thing that I forget the bigger picture.  His picture.
  Taking up my cross. Wow.  Not only do I have to deny myself but I must take up this burden of a cross.  Condemned criminals had to carry the crosses they were going to be crucified on.  So as Jesus was condemned to death by our sins, so am I condemned.  The hardest thing to accept and remember is that ultimately this life here on Earth is not what really matters.  This is only the intro to an eternity in Heaven.  So for now, I have to do my best to follow Jesus.  I have to focus MORE on God and LESS on myself.  Everything I do should be for HIS glory, not for mine.  I must deny myself, die to myself, and glorify Him.

THE Son of Man.  "That all the people, nations and those of every language might serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away."

  The universality of Jesus is something that I think comforted me when I read this study.  Jesus as THE Son of Man was a %100 flesh and blood human.  We can all relate to him in this way.  He was like us.  Yet he is also a superhuman majesty.  And in this way he is above us.  Someone we can look up to.
  ALL people are meant to serve him.  He is worthy of ALL worship and ALL praise.  When I read this I was thinking about the importance of ministry.  It is our duty as Christians to help spread God's word.  This summer, we will be engaged in acts of worship everyday by serving the campers so that they can ultimately serve and worship Him too.