[The Glory Unveiled]
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. [ Luke 9:23 NIV ]
God does not bar the door against anyone who desires to come to Him. The invitation is open, but it is not cheap. Whoever chooses to follow Jesus must understand this truth from the onset: discipleship comes at a cost. To follow Christ is to place your very life on the altar. It demands the surrender of what you cherish most, of the things that have defined you, secured you, and given you a sense of worth. When Jesus called Peter, He did not simply add faith to his schedule—Peter had to release his nets. When Matthew was called, he did not negotiate a transition plan—he rose from the tax booth and left it behind. In every call of Christ, there was always a cost. Following Jesus has never been free. It will cost you your life. Jesus makes the verdict unmistakably clear: If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. The first step is denial of self—not self-hatred, but self-surrender. It is the deliberate abandonment of whatever defines us apart from Christ, the release of the idols we cling to for identity, value, and control. Then comes the cross. The cross is not a symbol of convenience; it is a symbol of death. It represents the weight that restrains our desires, subdues our pride, and brings our arrogance under the lordship of Christ. To take up the cross daily is to submit ourselves fully to the direction of Jesus, to yield in obedience to the leadership of God even when it is costly. Only then do we follow. And here is the holy paradox: when self is denied and the cross is embraced, following Jesus no longer feels forced. It becomes natural. Our lives begin to resemble His. Our desires are reshaped, our character is transformed, and His nature is revealed through us. Obedience flows, not from pressure, but from alignment. When we truly die to ourselves, following Jesus becomes the truest expression of who we now are.
Prayer_Bead: Father, thank you for helping me identify the price to following your Son Jesus Christ and the grace to pay.
Wisdom_Quote: Everything valuable comes at a cost.
#GNews: Unveiling the glory of God.