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On a hot day in Texas, a woman accidentally locked a 10-month-old baby inside of a car. People tried frantically to unlock the car but couldn’t. Finally, a man came up, grabbed a hammer, and broke the rear window. The owner got mad at him for breaking her window. He thought, “What’s more important—the baby or the window?” Jesus challenges us to decide what is most important — to live temporary, self-centered, easy lives, or to sacrifice short-term pleasure for eternal joy. Here is how He put it: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, 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. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory.” Following Jesus means not only surrendering to Him our possessions or pleasures, but yielding our entire self to Him — our body, mind, emotions, and will. This makes very good sense when we consider all He has done for us in the past, can do for us today, and all He plans to do for us in the eternal future.
