The Shadow of the Cross and the Light of the Resurrection

In our narcissistic day, when each of us are convinced that everything must benefit me because I am the center of the universe, we are startled by statements that counter that ideology. I want the gospel as far as it benefits me. I want to be part of a church as long as it benefits me. I want a Saviour as long as He benefits me. Encountering  a gospel where the benefit not only saves me but also subjects me to the Lordship of Christ calling me to follow Him in self-denial so that others can live is counter-intuitive, abrasively rubbing against the fabric of my reality…yet is life giving. And as I grow in faith, I realize that it is only in dying that I truly live.