One little ad sparsely ordinary !

"Suffer with me, like a good soldier of Jesus Christ. There is no soldier who gets into trouble with the affairs of life, if he wants to please the man who enlisted him." 2 Timothy 2.3

Jesus calls us to follow Him on a narrow and narrow path. Who will dare to respond to this invitation ?

"If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."

One of the most original announcements ever published is that which appeared in a London paper at the time of the first polar explorations. There she is :

"Need for men for dangerous journeys, small wages, intense cold, long months in polar night, constant danger, uninsured return."

The announcement was made by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the famous explorer of the South Pole. Commenting on the enormous mail he received in reply, Shackleton said : "It looked like all the men in Britain wanted to accompany us." They were evidently courageous men, ready to make immense sacrifices for a worthy cause.

Does not Shackleton's announcement remind you of the words of Christ in Matthew 16:24 : "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, let him take up his cross, and 'he follows me."

He too was looking for men ready to go with him for a dangerous expedition : the way of the cross. The Lord made this call after telling his disciples that he was going to Jerusalem to suffer and be put to death.

How many have responded to this invitation over the centuries, giving up everything with joy to follow him ? Unlike the Shackleton expedition, there is always a great need for volunteers. The work continues. The Lord continues to call disciples. He wants only those who are willing to follow him, whatever the cost.

A prayer for today

O Jesus, that I really realize what it means to follow you ! Help me to abandon everything, to respond fully to your call, to no longer consider my own interests.

Jean-Louis Gaillard

Source (The Thought of the Day)