Follow!

Follow!

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

The Inspiration:

For all true disciples of Jesus, today's verse is for us. Everywhere Jesus went, there was always a crowd following. Just before today's verse, Jesus had just fed 5,000 men, beside wonen and children. I am sure in that crowd were people who were following Him for various reasons. Some would have loved the idea of constant supply of food, or some may just have loved following the latest trend, as Jesus was quite popular at the time. Whatever was the reason for following Jesus was, at some point, the crowd left and only the disciples were left. This is a clear message not to be distracted by numbers or popularity or even applause, but to seek that which pleases God. Jesus left the crowd behind and withdrew to a quiet place to pray. That is the divine response to the pressure of the crowd. Step away from its attraction and seek that which God would have you know. 

The Contention:

I cannot afford to follow the crowd; its daily principles and policies are not in line with God's will, and living to please the crowd will only end in disgrace. The solution is as laid out in today's verse. First, there is a decision to be made: do I want to remain part of the crowd, or do I want to step up to becoming a disciple? That decision can only be made by me, and cannot be done by proxy. Nobody can become saved on your behalf; I have to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling. If any man will come after Jesus, it is first and foremost a personal decision. I can't take that decision on your behalf, and you can't take it on my own behalf too. The call requires me to first deny myself and all that the natural man will desire from me, and then seek that which God desires. I can't please God by seeking to please flesh at the same time.  I follow self-denial with a taking up of the cross. At no time am I expected to be without a commitment. 

The Conclusion:

The taking up of the cross, as well as the denying of self, is a daily exercise. I don't get to pick and choose the days to be true to the cross, and the days to pursue my own thing.  It has to be a daily commitment to the things God demands. I note the word AND is present in the verse above; it is a complete package of demands, not options. If I truly seek to follow Jesus, it has to be on His own terms, not mine. Following Jesus will demand a lot from you; you will not be loved by the world, because you are now pursuing the things that the world hates. The world will even attack you if it can, because you are no longer under its influence and control. Following Jesus is not a weekly, monthly or yearly affair; it is a daily life of commitment and devotion to God and to what He commands. It may seem hard to those who are outside, but God's grace makes the journey worth it. Are you following Jesus? Does He direct your daily pursuits? God's time of favour is here.