Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

Jesus was clear with his followers that discipleship is not a casual practice. He knew He was calling His disciples to intense dedication, not a weekend hobby. To Jesus’ contemporaries, “taking up a cross daily” as part discipleship would immediately have conjured a vision of gruesome, humiliating torture inflicted on prisoners by the Roman government.

God is not a sadist that He would rely on our torture to prove faithfulness. Yet, “denial of self” isn’t something that comes easily to us. Many in today’s Christian culture are not in the habit of denying themselves much of anything. Christian culture is often superficial and focused on self (or group) indulgence, not genuine discipleship.

Denying oneself doesn’t mean taking no pleasure in life or having nothing good. It means that we prioritize something above ourselves. Missionary Bible translator, Ken Jacobs, expressed it this way, “If anyone wants to follow me, let him put out of his own heart what his own heart wants to do….”

Not everything that we want is wrong to want or to get. Putting the desires of Jesus’ heart above our own means simply that if God’s will conflicts with our desires, we deny ourselves. Jesus’ way is not one of standing on rights but is one of service to others. Sometimes serving others is as weighty or dangerous as carrying a cross. If we prioritize our self-centered desires, there is no space for what Jesus values in our hearts.

Resource Reading:  Matthew 19:16-26