Dieing to old dreams, following Christ
S -  Mark 8:31-38 (NASB)

 ³¹ And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ³³ But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

 ³⁴ And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. ³⁵ For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶ For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? ³⁷ For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

O - The observation her is that Jesus' cross bearing statement comes in a quick manner in the Gospel of Mark, immediately following two juxtaposing statements of Peter.  First Peter's proclamation that Jesus is the Christ,  and second here in verse 32 where Peter takes Jesus aside and began to rebuke Jesus himself after Jesus explained what would happen to Him in His death and resurrection.   Now we must be empathetic to Peter because this was definitely not what anyone expected to hear of when they thought of what would happen to the Christ.   So after Jesus rebukes Peter because he is not thinking of God's interest but only his own, he goes on to give the cross bearing statement, and in particular the paradigm shifting statement that the gospel does come at a cost, for those who carry it to the world,  they lose all their worldly inheritance. 

A -  The application for me is to wrestle with what likely Peter wrestled with.  To follow Christ and his path, or to cling on to the my old/own perceived notions of what the future holds.  I know I often what both. I want my old dreams before Christ, and to follow Christ.  I know that I struggle to give up some of these old dreams, and fear it may cost me a calling, or real impact in God's kingdom.  I am daily challenged in this season to be sure of my calling, to be patient in my character development and trusting in God's ways and God's timing.  I must trust in Christ's words that I must pick up my cross and follow Him, and that will come at a cost of some old dreams, and that while painful to die to old dreams, how much more painful in the end to realized I missed a chance to follow Christ.

P - Dear heavenly Father, thank you for today's lesson , may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you would sustain me during this season of doubt and waiting.  I pray you would instill in me the patience and trust to lie in the green pastures you have provided, to wait and trust in you,  and to die to some old dreams I may have that are holding me back from following you.   I pray all this in Jesus name, Amen.