“And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).

When Jesus talks about carrying a cross, he’s using bold language to teach us a bold principle: Whoever does not crucify their own self-serving desires and instead pattern their lives on him cannot be his apprentice.

This kind of thinking is counter-cultural. After all, we live in a me-first society. We get bombarded by messages every single day like, ‘It’s all about you!’ and ‘Do whatever makes you happy!’ and ‘You’re your own boss!’

Those ideas are about self-ish-ness, not self-less-ness.

Because we live in this culture, it’s easy to think that sacrificing significant things is simply too much to ask. But what if we were looking at it all wrong?

A life not focused on you is not something God does TO you but FOR you.

After all, Jesus is Lord. He loves you, wants what’s best for you, and knows what’s best for you. That same Jesus summons you to a life of love, of truth, of holiness, and of servanthood. So when it comes to sacrifice, you’re not being asked to restrict your life for lesser things; you’re being invited to liberate your life for greater things!

A life centred not on you is not something God does TO you but FOR you.

---

–Today’s devotional is related to my most recent sermon, “The way of the cross, no matter the cost.” There was an issue with the live-stream this past week so there’s no video version right now, but you can still listen to it here.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.