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Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
Exodus 4:1-6:13
Matthew 16:13-28
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Matthew 16:24-25 (CSB): “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
When we read Matthew 16:24-25, we sense that we have stumbled upon something significant. But it’s possible that we have read this passage repeatedly and still do not rightly understand it. So, let’s spend a few minutes this morning considering what Jesus meant by what He said.
Let’s clarify by taking Matthew 16:24-25 a phrase at a time.
“If anyone wants to follow after me,”
This is the language that was used of a disciple. Jesus began by saying: “If you want to follow Me, learn from Me, and become more like Me.”
If we have a biblical understanding of the Gospel, we know that following Jesus is what a saved person does. When we receive salvation from Jesus, old things pass away, and all things become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). We leave the kingdom of darkness and enter the Kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13-14). We no longer belong to ourselves but to Jesus, and our lives should glorify Him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
All of this and more is true for someone who has been legitimately saved. Therefore, it is an impossibility to be saved and not bear the fruit of that salvation in our lives. While we will stumble into sin daily, our life’s main trajectory will be to follow Jesus and become more like Him.
“let him deny himself,”
Suppose we want to truly follow Jesus, to be a disciple who learns from Him and becomes more like Him. In that case, our lives cannot be about ourselves. If we receive eternal life from Him and then live this one life for ourselves, then we are unspeakably selfish. After all, He died for us, so the least we can do is live for Him.
“take up his cross,”
When a criminal under Rome’s rule was caught, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death, he was made to carry his own cross to his place of death. This was a powerful picture! The criminal, in breaking Roman law, was essentially throwing off the constraint of Rome and saying that he was not under their authority. He would not submit to Rome.
But when that sentenced criminal made his way to his death, he was made to carry Rome’s cross on his back. This signified that the criminal was finally submitting to the entity that he had once resisted.
For a Christian, carrying our cross means that we are finally submitting to King Jesus and obeying Him, the one whose authority we once resisted.
“and follow me.”
It’s that simple. If we want to follow Jesus and become a disciple of His, then we must live our lives for Him and His Kingdom. We must “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). The “Christian” who claims that he is saved and yet isn’t living his life for Jesus is denying his claim by his very actions.
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it,”
If we want to live our lives intentionally and be able to celebrate what the Lord did through us when we are with Him in Heaven one day, then we must “lose it.” This means that we don’t live for ourselves. We seek to live for Jesus.
“but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.”
If we refuse to live for ourselves but instead live for Jesus, we will demonstrate that we have truly been born again. Our actions (fruit) will make it clear that we belong to Jesus, have been genuinely saved, and will enjoy being with Him one day in Heaven.
Friend, are you saved? If you believe that you belong to King Jesus, do you demonstrate it by living for Him and His Kingdom and not by wasting your life on things that are temporal and self-serving?
If you claim to be a Jesus-follower, then get busy. Live for Jesus! Let it cause you to pursue greater degrees of holiness. Let it move you to think about how you can increase the size and influence of His Kingdom here on earth. Live for Him and not yourself. You will be glad you did … for eternity!
Spend Time in Prayer
Lord Jesus, while I am not fit to judge the spiritual condition of so many people around me, I can’t help but notice that many who claim to be saved aren’t bearing the fruit. They claim to be Jesus-followers and yet don’t seem to be following You. Lord, I know all too well that such statements could sometimes apply even to me. Help me to take Your Words seriously and live for You. Help me not to waste my life solely focused on chasing temporal pleasures, but instead to seek first Your Kingdom. I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Going Deeper
If you want to go deeper, check out this article by Got Questions: “What does it mean to deny yourself?”
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com).
Matt’s Musings 