Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, 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 and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:34-38)
"Sometimes the ways of God seem contrary to everything we believe ought to take place. But if we attempt to manipulate God into doing our will, we are on the side of the forces of evil. God's will must be done God's way, and God's way always involves a Cross." (Dennis Kinlaw, this day with the master).
