TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Luke 9:23–26
DEVOTIONAL
by Jennifer A. Sun
Jesus emphasizes three things that followers are to do for them to be set apart from those who just render lip service. He tells us that they need to “deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me” (v. 23).
In a world that teaches us to love and value ourselves and our lives too much, Jesus calls us to deny ourselves. If we see that knowing Jesus and following Him is far more valuable than all the things the world can offer us, then exchanging our temporary pleasures for something of eternal value will never seem to be a bad deal. We are called to surrender our selfish desires and to use our time, money, and talents for Him.
During Jesus’ last hours, he carried his own cross to the point of death. And we are called to do the same. We are called to imitate Christ in our daily lives. That’s the thing about Christianity; we are being sanctified daily through our circumstances and our own crosses to bear.
Lastly, we are called to follow Him. We are to denounce our allegiance to the temporary happiness this world offers and recalibrate ourselves to going in the direction of Christ. Even if it seems to be a high price to pay, our hearts must learn to let go and embrace the fact that there is no other way to eternal life but to follow Christ.
PRAYER
Lord, we pray for the wisdom and courage to stand firm in our faith, even when faced with opposition or persecution. Help us to understand that our worth is found in Christ alone and not to be ashamed of His name.
In the name of Jesus, our ultimate example of self-sacrifice, Amen.
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