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“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 One thing that I firmly believe and always share with others is that salvation is a free gift of God and is accomplished on our part only by trusting in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. But there’s a difference between accepting the free gift of grace and what I call ‘easy believe-ism’. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great Christian leader who stood against Hitler in Nazi Germany, wrote, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.” And I think Bonhoeffer was exactly right! Jesus himself said that following him would require for each of his followers to “deny himself and take up his cross and follow” him. What the church needs today is the challenge of the cross. If you’re going to follow Jesus, there’s a decision to make and there’s a charge to keep. It’s not an easy road to follow Jesus Christ. It’s a road of commitment, conviction, and many times, death. To truly know Jesus Christ is to give all that you have to him; to exchange all that you are for all that he is. That’s salvation and that’s what it means to be a follower of Jesus!   THE SAVING GRACE OF JESUS CHRIST IS FREE, BUT GOD CALLS US TO MUCH MORE THAN SALVATION. HE CALLS US TO LIVE OUR LIVES FOR CHRIST EACH DAY. Stop Complaining Monday, May 20, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.” Numbers 21:4–6 For hundreds of years the Israelites cried out for deliverance from their bondage in Egypt. They longed for freedom from their cruel taskmasters. Yet when God answered their prayers and Moses led them out of Egypt, they were anything but happy. Over and over they complained and murmured and criticized Moses—and, by implication, criticized God—for not providing everything the way they wanted it. The freedom they had sought for so long was not enough when they got it. The reason people complain is not that they have less, but that they appreciate less. When we evaluate the role God’s grace plays in every good thing we have which is all a gift from Him, we begin to understand why He hates complaining so much. It is a slap in the face to God to tell Him that what He has chosen for us in His perfect wisdom does not match what we think should happen. Charles Spurgeon said, “Shall a living man complain? There are some who do little else but complain. They complain of the times, of the weather, of the government, of their families, of their trade; if, for once, they would complain of themselves, they might have a more deserving subject for fault-finding. Praising and blessing God in life, practically by obedience, and heartily with gratitude,—this is the rent which is due for the house in which we dwell.” Today's Growth Principle:  When we complain, we are declaring that we know better than God what should happen.