“Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.³⁵ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it.””  (Mark 8:34-35)

Christians, today, want and demand an easy religion which demands nothing of them, except to come to church every time the doors are open, tithe, and go home. We live as if Jesus did not call us to live in immediate, radical, costly obedience to His commands.  We want a Christian life that does not involve risk or uncomfortableness.  This mentality is contrary to what Jesus called all Christians to do in today’s verse of Scripture.

Jesus tells us that a true believer and follower of His will deny himself of the plans, dreams, and aspirations he has for his own life, in order to live and die for His sake, and the sake of the Gospel.  This is the mark of one who is truly saved.  How dare us believe that we are to be spared from any suffering, or death, when our Lord Jesus was not!  Do we really feel entitled to a Christian life devoid of any suffering, or death, for the sake of Christ, and for the sake of the Gospel?

“If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”  (C.T. Studd)

Are you a disciple of Christ? Then your life is the only thing worth giving to Him, for His sake, and for the sake of the Gospel.