Following Christ daily...

“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 God’s word reminds us that as believers, we are commissioned to a life that goes against the worldly norm, a life that is about Jesus and not about ourselves. Although society today is dominated by a motto of self indulgence, Jesus tells us that if we are to follow Him, we must first deny ourselves. In saying this, Jesus is speaking to the denial of our human nature. He is reminding us that when we wake up every day, we must decide to follow Him and not give in to our humanly desires. Every day is not about me, it is about Him. Jesus picked up His cross and was crucified for the sins of the world. When He asks us to pick up our cross daily, Jesus is challenging us crucify our sinful nature daily, so that we may walk with Him wherever He goes. The apostle Paul said it well in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” When we accept Christ into our lives, we make the decision to crucify our sinful nature and no longer live for ourselves, but for Him and by faith in Him.