LUKE 9:23.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

TO PONDER:

We are a culture that doesn't like to deny ourselves anything. We have immediate access to endless entertainment, shopping on demand, food delivered at any time of the day, communication with others around the world around the clock. Putting it simply, we can get what we want whenever we want. And if you can't afford it...there's a whole lot of buy now, pay later services that are glad to indulge our insatiable desire to get what we want now. That makes it really hard for us to embrace this call of Jesus to every disciple to deny ourselves.

The life of a disciples is a call to leave things behind. When Jesus called James and John, they had to leave their father in the boat, leave their business behind, to follow Jesus. Along the way, Jesus showed them that they were not going to be part of a movement that would successfully overthrow the empires of the world, but their following of him, their daily cross-bearing would lead to one place. Death of self. Denying oneself is not simply denying certain luxuries for ourselves. It is denying ourselves completely. It's leaving behind all self-indulgence to daily take up our cross and follow Jesus. Only Luke adds this word 'daily'. It's a daily surrender of our agenda, our self-indulgence to live so that the mission of God wins. So that the world is transformed. Bonhoeffer says it best. 'When Christ calls a man (person), he bids him come and die.' For it is at the cross, that we discover the greatest love of all, for all. When we witness Jesus' self-denial there, our hearts and our lives are transformed.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, you call me to deny myself and daily take up my cross and follow you. Forgive me when I cling to my agenda, my distorted view of what fullness of life is all about. Transform me in the journey so that your Kingdom comes and your will is done. Amen.