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). It means you stop running your own life and let Jesus run it. Every day.
Now, before we go further, let me say what it doesn't mean. It doesn't mean hating yourself or walking around miserable. And "my cross to bear" isn't your annoying co-worker or your bad knee. In Jesus' day, nobody picked up a cross unless they were walking to their own execution. Jesus was saying, "Following Me means your old way of living has to die." Paul put it this way: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Galatians 2:20 ESV).
You might be thinking, "That sounds like a lot." It is. Most of us have a domesticated version of Christianity that costs us nothing: be nice, live moral, go to church. But Jesus said, "Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:25 ESV). The early church understood following Jesus as laying down your life for Him. Here's what that looks like day to day:
1. Your "yes" has no conditions
The words "No, Lord" don't actually go together. If I'm saying no, He's not Lord in that moment. A while ago I was leaving a restaurant and felt the Holy Spirit tell me to give the cash in my wallet, about $70, to a table of ladies celebrating something. I talked myself out of it and kept walking. As I got out the door, I sensed God say, "Is that all it took for you to say no to Me? $70?" So I turned around and gave it to them. Nothing dramatic happened at their table. But something happened in me. Whatever God asks, the answer is yes.
2. You stop looking for the line
Imagine if on our wedding night I'd said to Megan, "Babe, I love you. But I have some questions. Can I flirt with other women and still be married? What about late-night DMs? What's the line that gets us divorced? Because I'm going to live right up to it." (Megan is Cajun. That conversation would not have ended well for me.) But a lot of us ask Jesus the same thing: "Can I do this and still be a Christian?" The question reveals the problem. I'm not trying to see how close I can get to the line. I'm trying to love Him well.
3. You open your hands
God isn't after what's in your hand. He's after your heart. And the practical test of whether He has your heart is what your hands can't be pried off of. Your money. Your time. Your plans. Your right to hold a grudge. One Sunday I gave someone on stage $100 and told them to give it away within 24 hours. When I asked for $100 from them, they hesitated. When I handed them $100 that was mine and asked them to give it away, it was easy. Here's the point: everything you have already belongs to God. Your breath, your bank account, your heartbeat. When you see it that way, letting go gets a lot easier.
4. You do it daily
Notice Jesus said daily. You don't deny yourself once at an altar and coast. You wake up each morning and say, "Not my will, but Yours."
Why would anyone sign up for this? Because of what He did first. Jesus left heaven, lived without sin, was betrayed, beaten and crucified, and rose again. When I remember that, I can't look Him in the face and tell Him no. He held nothing back for me. That's why I don't want to hold anything back from Him.
Scripture: Luke 9:23–25; Matthew 16:24–25; Galatians 2:20; Acts 4:32–5:6; Romans 8:32; Luke 22:42