My Thoughts on Today's Bible Readings

If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
What does the above mean? I believe it means that if we really want to be disciples of Jesus we must first turn our backs on desires for the world and of the flesh in us, accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him, and obey Jesus' will for us. And what is His will for us? Let's start at these two great commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself. This means putting God above everything else- money, possessions, desires, ambitions, fears, hobbies, dislikes, friends, enemies, family, society, etc., and to chase after Him, to want God in your life, to want to do His will, with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. It also means putting yourself as no less and no more important than your neighbor (i.e. every single human being on this earth, from the baby in the womb to the person in the process of dropping dead), and putting these two things as second most important (i.e. after the importance you put on God).
Why would the world reject you for doing these things? For one thing, the above way of living (i.e. according to the two great commandments) is not the way the world wants you to live. Either the world wants you to embrace it wholeheartedly or deny it wholeheartedly. The Christian way of life put you right in the middle- not to deny the world, but to use whatever the world gives you to do God's will and thus live life to the fullness. The world would have you thinking that in obeying God you can't live life to the fullness, that to live life to the fullness you have to indulge in things we Catholics would consider sin (sexual immorality, gluttony, overachieving ambitions, etc.) IT IS WRONG. Thus the world rejects you, as it rejects everything that does not fit in its idea of right and wrong (which, funnily, changes through the ages).
So let's do some soul-searching to find out what we deem most profitable and worthwhile in our lives. Is it God? If not, should we change it to God and doing His will? I'll let you decide :)