“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’”
Luke 9:23 (ESV)
Do I find more comfort in identifying as a Christian than in conviction in what Christ requires of me?
We all long to belong. There is comfort in being known and named among God’s people.
We say, “I am a Christian.” We learn the language of faith, the hymns, the Scriptures. We come to know what we believe and where we stand.
But Jesus calls us beyond identity, into something deeper.
He calls us to follow Him.
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 9:23 (ESV)
Those are demanding words.
For those who first heard them, the cross meant death. Jesus called His followers to lay down their rights and yield their lives to Him.
Luke adds a word that searches the heart:
Daily.
Following Jesus reaches into the choices we make every day.
When forgiveness asks me to lay down my pride.
When obedience unsettles my comfort.
When love calls for patience I do not feel.
When truth brings what is hidden into the light.
When surrender means letting go of control.
When Jesus touches what I have clung to, and I cannot imagine life without it.
Here, discipleship becomes personal.
“Do I believe in Christ?” remains an essential question.
Yet Jesus also confronts us with another:
“Will I follow Him when following Him costs me something?”
We are saved by grace through faith. That same grace brings us under the care and authority of Christ. To follow Him is to let Him shape our living and our letting go.
To be called Christian is a gift. It means we belong to Christ.
But belonging always carries a call.
Follow Me. Each day, again.
Let this be the question we carry into the days ahead:
What does following Christ require of me today?
Whatever He places His hand upon, may we have the courage to lay it down and walk on with Him.
Shalom, Jacques
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