“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” ~ Luke 9:23-24 (NIV) What does Jesus mean by “deny themselves” and “take up their cross daily”? How do we put this into practice in our everyday lives?
What does it truly mean to “take up your cross,” and where does the phrase “bear your cross” come from? Here is our answer to those questions. #ORBC Click To Tweet
In Luke 9:23, Jesus told his disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow him. Jesus called those who wish to be his disciples to discipline themselves in their everyday life by living in a way that is honoring to him and others. This means treating others with respect, setting time aside to study His Word, and practicing discipline daily.
Treat Others With Respect
The Bible has a lot to say about this subject. Multiple passages reaffirm the idea of loving one another. Romans 12:10 says to “love one another with brotherly affection.” Ephesians 4:32 says to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
The common thread is that we are called to love other people, which can be hard to do. This is one of the ways we as Christians can take up our cross daily.
Set Time Aside to Study The Bible
Another way to take up your cross daily is to set time aside to study the Lord’s Word. There are many benefits to study the Bible. It allows you to grow in your relationship with God, and it prepares you for living in the world.
Knowing the Bible means knowing how much God loves His creation. In Psalm 119:11 the Bible says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
Denying Yourself
What Christ Jesus meant by denying yourself is to deny the parts of yourself that are sinful. Consistently saying no to selfishness, pride, and gluttony is hard to do. It is like training a muscle. At first, practicing discipline is hard to implement, but the more you practice, the easier it gets.
Putting It Into Practice
Denying yourself and taking up your cross is something we are called to do as disciples of Christ. Some practical ways we can do this is by constantly showing love to others, setting time aside to spend with God, and denying our sinful desires.
Contact us to learn more about how to take up our cross.
