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
Yesterday, we began talking about the difference between being a cultural Christian and being a disciple of Jesus. If you missed yesterday’s devotion, I strongly encourage you to go back and read it. But today, we are going to discuss two more distinctions between cultural Christians and disciples.
The third distinction you must know is that a cultural Christian enjoys the benefits of the cross. A disciple embraces the sacrifices of the cross. You don’t become a disciple just by believing that Jesus died for you; you become a disciple when you make the daily choice to die to you. To get to heaven, you have to die in this life, but to get to Jesus, you’ve got to die to your life. Death is the ultimate surrender of your heart, your life, your desires, and your possessions to God.
One other thing to notice is that being a disciple is not a part-time job. You never get a day off. He says you have to take up your cross daily. In other words, the number one thing you have to do to start each day is to have a funeral. You will either live for Christ and die to you, or you will live for you and die to Christ. It is not a one-time decision. You have to die to yourself every single day.
Finally, you must know that a cultural Christian is a fan of Jesus. A disciple is a follower of Jesus. I never refer to myself as a Christian because the term has become basically meaningless. I much prefer to refer to myself as “a follower of Jesus.” I can tell you, though, that oftentimes that term convicts me. Sometimes I act more like a fan than a follower.
With this in mind, I want to make two things extremely clear. First, you cannot follow Jesus unless you give up everything to Jesus. And second, the only Jesus worth following is the Jesus who demands you give up everything. You learn in the Christian life you have to give up to grow up. And you do that by becoming a disciple, being discipled, and becoming a disciple-maker.
If you desire to become a disciple and if you accept Jesus’ invitation, you just signed up to deny yourself, die to yourself, and devote yourself completely to Jesus. But even though it sounds like a heavy decision, I promise it is a decision you will never regret.
Dear Lord, thank you for the convicting truths in today’s devotional. I want to be your follower, not just a fan. I pray you would give me the strength and the boldness to take up my cross daily and die to myself so that I can live for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Topics: Discipleship
