Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mat 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

When I met my wife for the first time, I asked God that very moment if she could be my wife some day. Then I began to prepare myself each day, to be ready and suitable to meet her. A haircut, shave, some working out. As she was from a foreign land, I was saving money, selling my prized possessions. Anything and everything to be able to have here permanently in my life. For over a year our courtship was over the internet with a webcam. I would get up at midnight every night to meet her and to spend one hour with here. I wanted to see her face and to hear her voice. I did not want to say anything to displease her or drive her away.

Preparation for a God Encounter

So many people that put on their best clothing and, get their hair just right and put on perfume or cologne. A nice shave or a new dress or suit. We go to church and everyone is at their best to go meet one another there.

But has our heart and mind been made ready to meet God?

Sadly we get the first right and the latter we miss the mark.

This is a repeat photo, but one of my recent favorites. Taken with my Huawei Nova 2i in Mindanao Philippines.

To truly meet God we must also prepare.

Not the outward (religion) but the inward (because of love).

A decision has to be made! According to the Words of Jesus Himself, most of us do not meet His criteria for marriage. He is the Groom and the Church is the Bride. She will be without spot (sin) and wrinkle (Disunity). She will be washed! She will have eyes for only One! She will have a heart for Jesus. She will glorify God with her body.

The Cost for Following Jesus

Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

• Denial of self
• Carrying our cross daily

Imagine if I told my wife, “I love you, but I love other women too!”

You see we do this to Jesus! We think we can have Jesus and everything we want! We think we can have Jesus and still love this world. We think we can have Jesus and still live in a life of sin. We think we can have Jesus and we can redefine what is Holy and Righteous.

God still is a Jealous God and He will not tolerate His people loving anyone or anything more than Him. No Idols! We cannot expect to have an encounter with God while we are playing with idolatry. Idolatry is spiritual adultery.

1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Luk 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

You see we are to love our wife and family. But our love for God has to be greater. What Jesus is saying, in contrast, our love for God, makes our love flor everyone and everything else look like hate. We love our family, but we love God far more.

We cannot have eyes for Jesus and still look at another!

We need a heart prepared to meet the Groom.

The pure in heart shall see God.
Washed by the blood of Jesus
Forsaking our sin and walking with Him.
A True Worshipper

We must decide what we want!

Jesus or the world.

We cannot now down to or love anyone more than Him.

Preparation to meet the King.

This is the end of this installment of of an Encounter with God.

Do we want Jesus for what we get from Him?
Or do we want Jesus for Him?
If we want Him we must forsake all others.

Thank you for stopping by,
Daddy William

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