-June 27, 2020-
Good morning, happy Saturday,
-The Cost True Discipleship-
“Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’”
(Matthew 16:25).
Jesus always told it straight, He did not mince words or beat around the bush. He promised that His followers would be hated, persecuted, and even martyred for their faith. The road of a true disciple of Jesus would be straight and narrow but would lead to eternal life. He insisted on full dedication, commitment, surrender, devotion, and obedience.
There were those who desired to come after Jesus. It was a good desire, but one that should not be entered into lightly or without careful consideration of the cost. There are three things one must do, not once but daily:
1. Deny yourself – This is very difficult to do. We all want our own will, self interests, and desires in life. We are born and wired that way. To deny ourselves is very hard to do. To deny our will, plans, desires, and dreams is what Jesus is calling for. He gives new plans, desires, and dreams which are far greater.
2. Take up your cross – Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The cross for the disciple is a life of hardship, trial, pain, and sorrow in this world. It is associating with Christ, which goes against the very grain of this world. It involves no compromises, no excuses, and no turning back.
3. Follow Me – To follow Jesus is to walk with Him, in His steps. It means to speak and act as He did. It is to follow Him wherever He goes. When Jesus called each of His disciples who became apostles, He said, “Follow Me.” We do not follow a creed, a dogma, or a religion but a Person, Jesus Christ. He is our Lord, King, and Master. He is the Boss.
To do these three things involves a great sacrifice but leads to a life of great fulfillment, satisfaction, and joy. Jesus said that if we desire to save our lives, that is from the consequences of a life of discipleship, we will lose them. He is not speaking of death but of meaning and purpose. We will lose the opportunity to fully serve our Lord.
But if we lose our lives for His sake, we will find them and save them. It is a paradox: gaining is losing, but losing is gaining. We have to be all in. Not every believer is willing to be a true disciple. Are you willing to count the cost and pay the price?
May the Lord help us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. We will never regret it. The song writer said, “I have to decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.”
Have a blessed day following Jesus. Stay safe and healthy.
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 