And
He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come
after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Luke 9:23 New American Standard
Bible (NASB)
This is considered one of the
“hard sayings” of Jesus. Some may say that it doesn’t sound that hard, but that
is because they don’t understand what it means. The following verse states that
whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but those who lose their lives
for Him will save them. It’s a matter of gaining the world or eternity,
gratifying the flesh or the Spirit, serving self or God. Denying oneself means
giving up what we want, refusing to do things our way, and choosing instead to
do what God wants, His way. It is completely giving up self; desires, wants,
even needs at times. It is putting God completely first. To take up one’s cross
is to follow in Jesus footsteps, to literally crucify self for the sake of
Christ. Any amount of selfishness is treason. We have to be all in, there is no
middle ground. Only then can we follow Him. We cannot have eternity and the
world, we must choose one or the other, Jesus or self. We cannot have both. Do
you wish to be a follower of Christ, to spend eternity with Him? Are you
willing to crucify your self in order to gain it, to deny what you want and do
things His way?
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