“Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 9:23 (NAB)
We were all called to be Spirit filled disciples and we are filled with the same Spirit that filled Jesus at the Jordan River, on the day of His baptism. Jesus told us to follow Him, and He added that in order to follow Him and carry our cross, we must deny ourselves.
I don’t think I’m the only one who has felt some discomfort in reading those words telling us to “deny ourselves.”
I used to interpret it to mean that a big sacrifice is going to be asked of me, which is uncomfortable to think about, so it’s a verse that I used to avoid.
I realize now that there is a deeper way to see the meaning in Jesus’ words to “deny ourselves.”
It’s all within the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus taught us. It’s in the words, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” Jesus just wants us to seek His Father’s will before our own. Denying ourselves means asking for God’s will to be done, instead of asking for ours to be done. Jesus did it and He has a beautiful purpose for us, even during our most difficult trials.
Whatever it is, we can trust that God has the best plan for us. There is no better place to be than in the center of God’s will, and there is no worse place to be than in the center of our own will.
Remember the Sinatra hit song, “I did it my way”? I heard a priest tell a true story that a parishioner requested that the Sinatra song be played at his father’s funeral since he loved that song. The priest politely declined their request. Not intending to offend Sinatra fans, but “I did it my way” is not the mantra of Christians, because our intent is to do things God’s way.
Discipleship means sustaining our trust and faith in Jesus even when things don’t make sense. In John chapter 6, when Jesus talked about eating His body and drinking His blood, He literally lost numerous disciples that day. Jesus saw multitudes walking away from Him, and then He turned to His closest twelve and asked, “ Are you also going to leave Me?” Peter answered, “How can we leave ? you have the words of eternal life.”
Peter didn’t fully understand all that Jesus was talking about, but He was a committed disciple, and the will and words of Jesus came first. We all need Peter’s spiritual stamina to trust in Jesus, even when we don’t fully understand what is happening.
During Covid, I asked God to show me what gifts I had and how I could serve Him in the strange new atmosphere of church closings , job furloughs, and a year after becoming a widow. It’s an interesting prayer, and a challenging one, when we ask God, “What can I do for you, Lord?
Asking that question, led to writing meditations, and it was my way of saying “Thy will be done.” Whatever situation we are in, God is good and will reveal His purpose for us.
There’s a true story of a Japanese Buddhist soldier, who became a traitor to his army, but was captured and thrown into the same prison camp with American soldiers during WWII.
The Japanese routinely tortured that Japanese prisoner of war more than the others, because he was despised for being a traitor to his own people.
One American soldier who was imprisoned with him, felt compassion for him and would care for his wounds and share his food with him, each time he was thrown back into the prison cell, after being beaten and tortured.
One day, he was beaten so bad, the American soldier thought, “I’ve shared everything with this poor man except Jesus”, so he knelt over the man and said to him, “You might not make it through the night, but if you surrender your life to Jesus, you will live forever.”
The Japanese soldier looked at him and said, “If Jesus is anything like you, then I can’t wait to meet Him.”
That is what discipleship was meant to be. That Christian soldier made the best out of being in a horrible place, and in the end, he found his purpose, and by his actions and words, a soul was saved for eternity.
I heard someone say, “A religious person loves to tell other people what he has done for God, but a disciple loves to tell other people what God has done for him.”
Wherever we are in our lives, whether by actions or words, by grace, we can reflect the goodness of God to someone else.
Jesus, make us better disciples by seeking your will before our own. Shine your light in us, as we follow you, and be glorified through all that we say and do. Amen
