[The Glory Unveiled]
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. [ Luke 9:23 NIV ]
Our walk with the Lord Jesus is not forced. As much as God desires that we come to Him, He does not override our free will, insisting that we choose Him. In our text above, the Lord Jesus asks that anyone who would come after Him—follow him as a disciple—should deny himself and take up His cross daily and follow Him. This makes the invitation to follow Him an open one. He does not forbid anyone from becoming His disciple but He does have a condition that must be met to actually succeed in following Him. Hence, this means that, to succeed in this endeavor is solely our responsibility. Amos 3:3 asks how two people can walk together unless they agree, we cannot follow Jesus nor walk with Him except we agree with Him. And we can only agree with Him when we live as He lived; denying the self life it’s freedom and taking up His cross daily and following His father. The same principle is expressed when Isaac denied his free will and followed his father, Abraham, carrying the firewood (his cross) for his death. There is a price to following Jesus and this price is encased in a condition; the condition of denying the self through daily obedience to the word of God. When we choose to obey Jesus on daily basis, ignoring what our self life wants, we are on the path to a lifelong relationship with Jesus. Are you committed to walking with Jesus? Are you willing to pay the ultimate price?
Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for showing us how to enter into a lifelong relationship with you. Help me to obey you daily.
Wisdom_Quote: The call to follow Jesus is open to everyone at the cost of their lives.