Disciple?

Disciple?

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. Luke 9:23‭-‬24 KJV

In laying a foundation for today's extract, Jesus was praying with His disciples, and he asked them 2 questions: 1. Who do people say I am? There is a perception from the crowd about who Jesus is. We come to Him for so many things. We stay sometimes because we think we got nowhere else to go. Sometimes, it is that He is one of many options available to us, so we stick around until another viable option comes around. Or like the response the disciples gave, we recognise his power, authority and influence but we know nothing about His Lordship and Sonship. Unfortunately, these are the most important considerations when it comes to knowing who Jesus is.

The crowd knew Him as maybe Elijah, some said He was John the Baptist, others called Him one of the old prophets who had died and had risen again. It was great to see these comparisons, as these men were great tools in God's hands in their time, but they were NOT Christ. And this is important because Jesus then asked those who had been following Him for a while now: "Whom do you say I am?" There is a place for public opinion but there is a place for personal experience. How you respond to Jesus will always be a function of what you know about Him? 

And this is the foundation of today's extract. For all who crave a personal experience of Jesus, the terms are laid out above.  The call is to ANY MAN. There is no one alive who is so far gone that s/he is beyond the grace of God. As long as you are alive, the invitation to draw near is for you. However, because you are dealing with a God of absolute purity who demands all from me, there are terms and conditions. First, you must desire to come after Him. You can't lead yourself; you must be willing to subdue your will and desires to the One you claim to follow. If you know everything already, or you know definitely where you are going and how to get there, then this call may not be for you. If you will come after Him, then the next step is for you.

Second, there is a need to DENY MYSELF. I must come to a point where my desires and personal will no longer control me. I must stop feeding the human desires and start feeding the things God desires. It is the power of sin that pushes man into all sorts of  evil desires, but it is the power of God that delivers from the power of sin. When you fully understand the power of sin and the eternal consequences of living in it, you will appreciate the need to deny yourself, relying on the power of God. Sin will not die by itself; it is older than any of us. Victory over sin is only possible in and by the Only One who died and rose again to secure that victory once and for all.

Then comes the next part: TAKE UP HIS CROSS. There isn't any call to comfortable living or compromise. It is a call to take up your cross. It is the place of daily death, where you constantly remind yourself that you have died to sin, and it no longer has any power over you. It is a constant reminder that your strength is not in yourself, but in the One who calls you to Himself. You may walk with God and He may bless you beyond your wildest dreams, but you must never let go of the cross. It is your daily reminder of why you started following Him in the first place. You can never outgrow the need for your cross, unless you have found a way to sustain yourself through all the experiences and challenges that are coming.

And then with all of these, you must FOLLOW HIM. It is not enough to desire or pray about it; you must actually take steps to do it. And just like the part of the cross, this is also a daily requirement. You can't take a part that is convenient and leave out the difficult parts. You can't pick and choose how to proceed as there is no middle ground in this matter. And the reason for all of these is in the extract above. Don't assume that you can protect yourself or guarantee how your life will end. The times we are in are so strange and unpredictable. You can take all necessary steps, yet none of us can determine what the end of today holds. We can secure ourselves the best way we know how to, but it is not possible to change the plans that God has in place. It pays then to constantly depend on God for his help to live and walk right, so that you can end well. The lines have been drawn and the conditions and consequences have been made clear. What's your decision? His time of favour is here.