(23b) "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self ? I believe that God calls us to lay down certain things in order to preserve what is important. If our relationship with the Lord is a priority, then we take steps minimize distractions to our spiritual growth and seek to maximize our time with Him and the disciplines that can help us improve in our walk. The use of the word "cross" is significant - Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us, and He calls us to give of ourselves so that we might walk in His ways.
In Ephesians 5, we read:
1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
There is a new phenomenon that is being reported - the result of the decline in available jobs and the housing, as well as technological advantages. It is the rise of the so-called "super-commuter". A report out of New York University finds that significant numbers of people work within the boundaries of a metropolitan area, but live outside those boundaries, meaning that they may travel a 100 miles or more once or twice a week.
A quarter-of-a-million workers, or just over 13 percent of the workforce in Houston and Harris County, Texas, are in this category. This represents a 98 percent increase from 2002 to 2009. The percentage of the small workforce in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is the same as for Houston. Phoenix, Atlanta, and Philadelphia round out the top 5 in percentage of the workforce who are super-commuters. You are finding significant numbers of people commuting from Dallas to Houston and San Antonio to Houston, even Boston to Manhattan. There are people that commute to Atlanta from cities such as Chattanooga, Macon, Augusta, Columbus, and even Savannah. I wouldn't be surprised to find a few people from the Faith Radio broadcast area who commute to the ATL or to Birmingham or Mobile.
People are doing this to hold on to jobs, or because they cannot sell their house in one locale, due to the less-than-optimal housing market. Technology enables people to live in one city and only have to report into the office once or twice a week, if that much. People are willing to make a sacrifice, because having a good job is important to them, and they will put up with the inconvenience to hold on to it.
Jesus spoke of making sacrifices, as well. He challenged us to lay down our lives so that we might know Him and experience eternal life. We can ask ourselves - what am I willing to sacrifice in order to preserve what is important? This can apply to our own spiritual growth...what would it take for us to experience a deeper walk with Christ? Or what do we need to sacrifice in order to have a more vibrant marriage or a better relationship with our children? And, too much time on the job may be a factor, or a long commute may actually be a distraction, and we need to ask the Lord to order our steps and help us to preserve those meaningful relationships. What we give up for the sake of Christ and doing His will can provide greater joy and satisfaction in our lives.
Remember the words of the late Jim Eliot:
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