The Difference Between Denying Self and Taking Up My Cross
It is important because Jesus said ...“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.“ - Luke 9:23 ESV
So being a follower of Jesus requires both self denial and cross bearing but what are the distinctions between the two?
Self denial is self initiated. You choose to deny yourself certain things that could hinder you from following Jesus and living a life of obedience. You do not deny yourself of them because they are necessarily evil but they are a hindrance or distraction from following Jesus.
Take up your cross is God initiated. It is the suffering that God brings you through in order for you to follow Him. No matter how self aware a person may be, you cannot completely see what may be hindering your walk with God. God desires for you to go deeper with Him, so he allows suffering in your life to prune you of those things.
There is no Christianity without suffering.
Follow me is a life of obedience. You cannot follow God and live in disobedience at the same time.
So Jesus teaches that if we are going to pursue Him we:
Following Jesus is simple but not easy. It is not complicated but my flesh does not like it. I want to get my own way, be pampered, live a life of ease. We can choose that path in life but it does not result in a deeper walk with God.
So being a follower of Jesus requires both self denial and cross bearing but what are the distinctions between the two?
Self denial is self initiated. You choose to deny yourself certain things that could hinder you from following Jesus and living a life of obedience. You do not deny yourself of them because they are necessarily evil but they are a hindrance or distraction from following Jesus.
Take up your cross is God initiated. It is the suffering that God brings you through in order for you to follow Him. No matter how self aware a person may be, you cannot completely see what may be hindering your walk with God. God desires for you to go deeper with Him, so he allows suffering in your life to prune you of those things.
There is no Christianity without suffering.
Follow me is a life of obedience. You cannot follow God and live in disobedience at the same time.
So Jesus teaches that if we are going to pursue Him we:
- Deny self - personally choose to eliminate any and everything that hinders you or distracts you from following Jesus
- Take up your cross - yield to God when he allows suffering in your life in order to prune you.
- Follow Jesus - live a life of obedience.
Following Jesus is simple but not easy. It is not complicated but my flesh does not like it. I want to get my own way, be pampered, live a life of ease. We can choose that path in life but it does not result in a deeper walk with God.
Questions
- What is hindering you or distracting your walk with God?
- What do you need to deny yourself of?
- What is God calling you to do right now?
- Are you living a life of total obedience?
- Will you yield yourself to the Holy Spirit when he chooses to prune you, no matter how painful the pruning might be?
We are walking together
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