Following Jesus is a necessary part of Christianity. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). To be part of His kingdom, His church, and His body, a person must follow Jesus. But how far are we willing to go?
We also need to be ready and willing to suffer. When Jesus says, “take us his cross daily,” He is referencing His suffering that would take place upon the cross. The disciples had not even imagined what Jesus would endure, but the Son of God knew what was coming. To be His disciple, a person must suffer, whatever that suffering looks like, and follow. But how much suffering are we willing to endure?
We also need to make God’s will our own. Jesus said that we “must deny” ourselves. We need to refuse our agenda and embrace God’s. But how many comforts, plans, and preferences are we willing to deny?
As Christians, we should ask ourselves how far we will follow, how much we will endure, and how willing we are. Can we imagine a circumstance or point in time when we would say, “that is too far,” “that is too much,” or “I’m simply not willing”? If our answer is yes, perhaps we should consider how far He went, how much He endured, and how willing Jesus was to obey His Father and to save our souls.
Matt Langfield