Deny Yourself

Luke 9:23 "And he said to all, "if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

Have you thought about what it means to call Jesus your Lord lately? We’re living in a time when many call Jesus their Lord. But did you know that you can’t call Jesus your Lord and treat His ways as a mere suggestion?

Today many call Jesus Lord, but few are doing what He commands. Few love their enemies, few give without expectation, few are willing to deny self and serve others. It’s easy to say Jesus is Lord, but true Christianity moves past the words to doing what Jesus asks. The trouble is that what Jesus has called us to is not easy. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus invites his disciples to follow him but not without the willingness to pick up our crosses as we do so. Cross carrying, it turns out, is not a one time thing. It's a daily thing. It's sometimes a difficult thing. But it becomes easy when our eyes are focused on Jesus.

Do you treat Christ's ways as mere suggestions, or are you the real deal? Are you willing to carry your cross daily, even if you aren't particularly fond of your current cross? Is your one goal to glorify God no matter what you’re going through, or are you focused on getting what you want at any cost? In every area of your life you must choose to live the way of Jesus or your self-centered way. And how you live day after day will always tell the real story—do you just call Jesus Lord, or is He indeed Lord of your life?

Questions:

What are some of the ways in your life that you are not living as a true follower of Jesus Christ? Are you willing to make some changes in those areas?