Take up your cross daily
“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.”Luke 9:23
Reflection
Instead of attracting followers with easy promises, Jesus speaks frankly: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." He does not hide the cost. It is like handing the candidate the contract with all the fine print highlighted. And, at the same time, the invitation is direct: "if any man will". It is not obligation, it is choice. Being a follower of Jesus means putting yourself behind Him, and behind that image are three verbs that define discipleship.
The first is "deny himself". It does not mean self-hatred or erasing one's own personality. It means removing the self from the throne of life, ceasing to treat one's own desires and plans as the final word. Whoever denies themselves is the one who says: "not my will, but Yours". The second is "take up his cross daily". The cross, at that time, was the instrument of execution; to carry it meant walking toward death. For us, it is the willingness to die to selfishness, pride and comfort when obeying God requires it. And notice the "daily": it is not a single heroic act, it is a routine of daily renunciation, small and constant.
The third verb is "follow me". All this has a destination: following Jesus. Denying oneself and carrying the cross is not masochism; it is the road to being with Him. And whoever follows Him on this road discovers what Jesus Himself said in the next verse: whoever loses their life for His sake will find it. The paradoxical logic of the kingdom is that full life comes through surrender, not self-preservation. What we lose in denying the self is far less than what we gain in following the One who is life.
What "cross" is God asking you to carry today? Perhaps forgiving someone who does not deserve it, saying no to something you desire, taking on a service no one sees, being honest when a lie would be more convenient, staying faithful in a hard situation. It does not have to be dramatic: it is a small choice of obedience that costs a little of your "self". Make it, and follow. This is how, one day at a time, we walk behind Jesus.
Prayer
Jesus, I want to follow You. Help me deny myself, take my "self" off the throne and take up my cross daily with joy. May I choose Your will in every small decision. Lead me in Your steps, because to lose my life for You is to find it. Amen.
Put it into practice
Identify one "small cross" today (forgiving, saying no to yourself, serving unseen, being honest) and choose to carry it out of love for Jesus. In the evening, thank God for the strength and write down what you learned.
To reflect on
What daily "cross", that is, what renunciation of your "self", has Jesus been asking of you, and what makes you hesitate to take it up?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).