Then Jesus said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him [deny himself] and [take up his cross daily] and [follow me.”]
Luke 9:23
To Know Jesus Means to Follow Him
There is a big difference between price and cost. In the passage above, Jesus was trying to paint a clear picture to His disciples regarding the “cost” of following Him.
You see, Jesus was getting ready to pay the “price” needed by going to the cross, dying a brutal death in order to redeem all of mankind.
That “price” to be redeemed wasn’t paid one cent by the disciples. However the “cost” for each of them, and for anyone else after them to “follow Jesus,” was and is going to be a high cost.
So what did Jesus say the “cost” is to be His disciple?
* Self-Denial: “Deny himself.” Selfishness, self-centered or self-indulged. We are to put others interest first, before self. We are to die to self. We are to serve, not be served.
* Sacrifice: “Take up his cross (daily).” In that culture, if you saw someone carrying their own cross, you clearly knew they were going to their own death. We must die to our own will and our own desires. We sacrifice our will for His will.
* Submission: “Follow Me” I’m going to make this very clear to understand. You ready? Here it comes…
Christians Follow Jesus!!!
It’s that simple to understand. We submit ourselves to Jesus Christ out of love for what He has done for us.
Listen closely: to be a disciple of Jesus Christ we have to get out of the boat. We cannot be His disciple sitting in the boat. There is a huge difference between saying you “met Jesus” and saying you “follow Jesus.”
“Meeting Him” and “Following Him” are completely different.
Don’t wave to Jesus passing by. Get out of the boat and follow Him! Do life with Him. Spend time with Him. Serve Him. Be sold out to Him.
“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” – Jesus
Be and authentic follower of Jesus Christ.
Be Worth Being,
Kevin
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Kevin Burrell has worked in professional baseball as both a player and MLB scout for the past 38 years, and currently serves as an area scouting supervisor. Kevin was drafted in the 1st round of the 1981 free agent amateur draft (25th selection overall), and played ten years of professional baseball with four different organizations. He and his wife, Valerie, live in Sharpsburg, Ga.
Imagine that you could sit down and pick the brains of some of the top leaders in the country! That’s the premise behind the Linch with a Leader podcast. Learn how these leaders – all among the best in their respective field – have risen to the top, while continuing to grow spiritually and chase after the Lord.
