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Luke 9:23-24 KJV

[23] 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. [24] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

The disciples had just finished one of the greatest discussons they had ever had with Jesus, which was about His divine identity as well as His mission. Peter had spoken out that eternal truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We recall Jesus, in yet another account of this same story, laying the foundation of the church on this eternal truth, that Christ is God, the One by whom all the things we see today were made, and by whom all things we see or do not even see, will be judged. One would think that this amazing revelation given to Peter would exclude him from all responsibility and accountability. Not from God's perspective. The understanding I have of God must lead me down particular paths. What I have come to know about God must compel me to reflect on what God wants from me, and I must be quite willing and ready to make whatever sacrifice is demanded by God. 

It is that sacrifice that has been laid down in the verses above. It is instructive to note that at this time, all the disciples were there, and this included Judas Iscariot, the man who would later betray Him. The crowd may or may not have been there at this time, but whatever it was that Jesus was about to teach was for everyone, whether it was the popular majority or the committed and dedicated minority. For all who will come into the fullness of God's purpose for them, they must be willing to take a step away from the crowd and all it represents, which could be popular acclaim, applause and approval, to the very unpopular path of divine empowerment for great exploits. The issue will be that the world may not know or applaud you, but whatever will be of eternal value has to be more than just earthly approval. 

As Jesus made it clear in the verses above then, so does He make it clear to us today: who you are now will determine how you respond to the challenge in the verses above. The verses above challenge me to know who I am, who Jesus is, what He demands from me, and the eternal consequences of whatever decision it is that I take. The offer is for ANY one who will come after Jesus. It does not matter who you were, or are now. The offer is still open, if you are reading this. I must deny myself, take up my cross on a DAILY basis, and follow Him. That which I did not create cannot be preserved by myself. If this life was not made by me, there is no way I can keep it safe, without the help of the One who made and formed it. If I will make it to the end, it will be the help, support and backing of Creator of the Universe. He is fully invested in my success. Give Him your life today, and watch Him work miracles with the mess your life may have been before now. God's time of favour is here.