Mark 8:34

Mark 8:34

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he (Jesus) said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

What does it really me to deny oneself? In the text above, Jesus is basically saying to the crowd “If you want to follow me, you are going to have to put aside your selfish ways and submit to God’s plan. There is no more what you want…it’s now all about what God wants. And by the way, there’s a really good chance it’s NOT going to be easy. In fact at times, it might be downright painful”. God sent Jesus to this world to carry out a very specific plan, and Jesus executed that plan to perfection. Not once did Jesus deviate, not once did he replace the Father’s plan with an alternative plan that he cooked up on the side when things got too difficult. From start to finish, it was all about God’s will. The words above that Jesus spoke to the crowd are the same words that Jesus is speaking to us today. If we are to come after Jesus…if we are to call him Savior…then we must deny ourselves, endure whatever hardships may come, and follow where he leads us. The cross in Jesus’ time was a sign of pain and punishment…during that time, it was not the sign of hope that we have today. So when Jesus says “take up his cross” it’s a sign to us that things are not going to be easy. When we deny ourselves, it means we are taking our ideas of what we think about, how we speak to others, and how we act and we are replacing them with God’s commands. We are being called to be humble. We are being called to forgive. We are being called to sacrifice for the benefit of others. We are being called to anything and everything that stands to further the Gospel and shine glory on the Father. When Jesus willingly took the cross on our behalf, he showed us that he was all-in. Now it’s our turn. But don’t get it twisted…we are not trying to somehow earn God’s grace. Rather we deny ourselves out of love for the Father and Son…and because the Spirit enables us to deny ourselves. Without the three…without the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we are simply lost. May we choose this day and each day to come to deny our will and replace it with the will of the Father…and wherever he may lead us, may we obediently and joyfully follow. To God alone be the glory!