“If anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me,” Jesus said. Not your average recruiting speech, is it?
Let's take this verse apart, starting with the very desire to follow Jesus. Feel like your desire to follow isn't as strong as it ought? Well, that's a reasonable thing to pray for: Lord Jesus, increase my desire to follow You. If necessary, ask the Lord to grant you a deeper awareness of your feeble desire to follow!
“Deny yourself,” Jesus continued. Again, a command that doesn't see much airtime in the modern media. Our culture mostly preaches self-indulgence: “Buy more, replace what you have with newer/bigger/faster...you shouldn't do without!” No, Jesus says, we need to take this Lenten season and deny ourselves something big enough to hurt, something that makes me think, “Hey, I'm missing ___, and, oh, that's right, it's supposed to remind me to spend more time in prayer!”
Now, having prayed for the desire to follow, and having rejected something of this world's passing pleasures, Jesus challenges us to take action: “Do what you know needs to be done, just do it, and come and follow My example. Come deeper into My presence, and be changed and renewed!”
Prayer: Lord, lead me, this is new and difficult terrain; help me to stay close to You, and grant me a deeper hunger and thirst for Your way of living and worshiping. Help me to see through Your eyes that which I need to leave behind. Forgive my stubborn ways, and lead me into Your life everlasting, I pray. Amen.
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