Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?
The North American Standard Bible gives a great subtitle to this stretch of verses: “Discipleship is Costly”! Let’s look at Jesus’ words closely and see why discipleship is so costly. In verse 24, Jesus says, “...come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”. Jesus is not making a suggestion to follow Him, but rather makes a command to the disciples they must deny themselves if they want to follow Jesus. A great analogy would be a sheep has to follow the commands of the shepherd. If not, there is a good chance the sheep will wander off and die. Granted, there may be a temporary pleasure in wandering, but it results in a permanent anguish in the end.
So why is it hard to “deny yourself and follow Jesus”? Because there is a real battle between flesh and spirit. The desire of the flesh is to pursue the things of this world, but the desire of the spirit is to please God. According to Galatians 5:17, these two forces are constantly at war with each other. So in order to please God, we have to literally put those things of our flesh on a cross and let them die - that is much easier said than done.
What does this mean for you and me? If your pursuits rest in the car you drive, the size of your house, and the name brand on your clothes, it will be difficult for you to pick up your cross and follow Christ. But if you deny your flesh, take up our cross and follow Him, then we have a great reward both now and forever - fellowship with Him. I guarantee you that discipleship will be costly - it will cost you your time, talent, and treasures. But I also promise that the reward of standing with Jesus will undoubtedly be worth it in the end!
Reflection Questions:
How are you positioning yourself to grow in your walk with Jesus?
How are you positioning yourself to help others walk in their faith with Jesus?
Are you wandering? If so, what do you need to do to get back to the shepherd?
Chad Whittle
Next Steps Director
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