Personal Mission Statement 03.17.2010. 1:00AM

Tonight, I went to this college youth group called Epicenter (I think I spelled that right)... and the speaker had us each individually take about 10 minutes to formulate our personal 'mission statement/purpose statement' for our lives.

The very first thing that came to my mind when he introduced this activity, was Mark 8:34-38 (but primarily v.34):

"And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? "For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

Immediately, God layed those words on my heart: "deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Christ... anywhere."

So I began contemplating this over the next 10 minutes. What will this look like in my life?

1. What does it look like to DENY YOURSELF?

give up your fleshly wants and desires:
comfort
your desire to 'fit in' or to be 'cool' or 'popular'
denying yourself the comfort of nearby close friends or familiar community if necessary (foreign missions work perhaps)
being/working/interacting outside of your comfort zone

put others before yourself... BE: HUMBLE.... SELF-LESS....WHOLEHEARTEDL

Y CARE ABOUT OTHERS MORE THAN YOURSELF....POSSESS ABUNDANT COMPASSION.... UNCONDITIONALLY LOVE everyone



2. What does it look like to PICK UP YOUR CROSS?

COMPLETE dependency upon Christ - LITERALLY holding the work on the Cross and its redemptive power, as the Cornerstone of your entire being.

READILY admit your inadequacies:

- we SHOULD feel totally inadequate to share Jesus with others on our own, because we are nothing without God... we are weak people.

- God uses weak people, because they are the ones who have humbled themselves before Him and who admit that they are POWERLESS on their own

- its only through His power can we do anything that magnifies His kingdom. As such, HE gets all the glory... we glory in Him, not in ourselves. Only whats done for Christ lasts...




3. What does it look like to FOLLOW CHRIST?
anywhere. ready for anything. looking to Him always for your next step.

willing to go ANYWHERE at ANY TIME, to do His will

BE PREPARED to give an answer for the hope that is within you:
be TRAINED...be DISCIPLINED...be READY

Your life is a megaphone through the smooth-sailing and the darkest trials, SCREAMING dependency and fulfillment in Christ, and He alone to meet your deepest needs.





DENY YOURSELF, PICK UP YOUR CROSS, AND FOLLOW CHRIST...ANYWHERE.