edge

Good morning! Today, I thought I'd just share with you a verse that has changed the way I think about my faith.

"Then [Jesus] 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

The decision to truly follow Christ is more than just saying you believe He is the son of God - that's just the starting point! After you decide you "believe" in Jesus, you begin the journey of denying yourself and taking up your cross daily. But what does that mean? Among other things, I think denying yourself means saying no to your selfishness, anger, materialism, and laziness. You want what God wants more than what you want. And you decide that His plan for your life is better than anything you could plan for yourself. And what about taking up your cross? A cross is burden and if you are supposed to pick up a figurative cross everyday, that's pretty serious. I could talk about it forever, but I think that in part it means that being a follower of Christ is about humility and service, not power and privilege.

Sounds kind of tough, right? Let me encourage you by saying that with this sacrifice, there is also incredible joy and peace that you will never find anywhere else. The hope that comes with knowing God's love and being able to trust Him far outweighs the sacrifice. And knowing that you have lived for something greater than yourself is a really wonderful thing. I pray that everyday you and I will be denying ourselves and picking up our crosses more and more.