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Mark 8:34-38, Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

What does it mean to truly follow Jesus?  This is what today’s focus verses are addressing.  Somehow, in our American Christian lifestyles we have lost sight of what it means to really be a disciple.  We tend to think that being a disciple is about going to church, being a good person, and maybe sometimes giving some money to a worthy cause.  We have narrowed down discipleship to a list of tasks.  We have accepted comfort and being good enough.  How wrong we have been.

Being a disciple of Jesus is not about tasks, it is certainly not about comfort, but all about heart.  There is self-sacrifice and maybe even some pain involved.  Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”  Wow.  How many of us like to deny ourselves?  That doesn’t sound very comfortable.  We also have to take up our cross.  Ouch.  Carrying a cross doesn’t sound like much fun either.  I would imagine it would be heavy and quite difficult.  And yet, this is how Jesus describes following him.

Then, he says that those who want to gain their lives will have to lose them.  Total surrender to him.  We are no longer our own.  We belong to Jesus. 

Are you ready to be a true disciple of Christ?

Let’s pray…Lord, In our own power, we cannot do this.  In yours, we have a chance.  Fill us, transform us, use us.  In Your Name, Amen.