For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. (Romans 3:23-24 NLT) We might not want to admit it, but we are sinners through and through. We were born with the sin nature - it is part of who we are. We give into it almost unconsciously at times, don't we? We listen to its lies and believe whatever 'feels best' at the moment, all the while ignoring the warning flags deep within our spirit that are telling us to act otherwise. Everyone has sinned, is a sinner, falling short of God's standards for living - in need of a 'life altering change' that can only come by saying yes to Jesus. God's grace comes to us without us even asking for it - offered to us in ways we might not even realize as God reaching out to us. Grace comes in the form of protection from serious harm when we choose to do dumb stuff...
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." (Luke 9:23-24 NLT) A follower isn't prone to lead, are they? The leader determines the course, sets the pace, and directs the ones following what to look out for along the way. To follow, one must give up their 'own way'. The course is established for them - they actively choose to leave their path and follow a different one. Hanging onto our old way of doing things in life may prove to be a bit more foolish than we first want to admit, but it didn't get us where we wanted to be in the first place! Why would we hold onto it when all that path has provided is guilt, shame, discomfort, or mistrust? Somehow, like it or not, we must give up the 'right' to do our own thing and follow Christ as HE determines we s...