Deny, Take Up, and Follow

As this month on growing pains comes to a close, I want to focus in on a central aspect of the life of sanctification. It is an aspect that is often avoided due to its intense nature, but I pray that in the course of this article you will see it as beautiful and freeing.

The aspect I am referring to is the day in and day out denying of yourself, taking up your proverbial cross, and following after Jesus.

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At the outset I want to say that this blog post will be slightly different than usual. The purpose of this isn't to give you a long and drawn out exegetical take on the passage in view, but rather to deliver a few punchy and poignant methods for living a life of conformity to Christ. After all, that's how most of us think anyway.

So, the Scripture referenced above:

"And [Jesus] said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." - Luke 9:23-24

To quickly explain, in this passage our Lord is explaining the terms of following him. To come after him and enter into a life of conformity to his image, you must be willing to deny your fleshly passions and desires, crucify them with Christ, and follow after him. The reason for this is explained in the second half of the quotation above. Whoever wishes to save his life of sin and misery will, ultimately, lose his life eternally. But the one who is willing to lose his old life, with its fleeting desires and sinful patterns, will gain not only eternal life after death, but the fullness of the life intended for him by God here on earth.

Now to a few brief applications to help put some meat on these bones.

I. Deny yourself for the sake of your family

Denial of self can seem unfair and even unjust. Why should I have to put myself on the back-burner? Why should I have to take a backseat to the interests and well-being of others? Well, it is because that is what Jesus did, and that is what he is commanding us to do. Over and over again in the gospel accounts of the New Testament we see Jesus putting his own life out of the spotlight and giving of himself for the good of others. There is no better way to practice this than with your family.

Day after day you will be met with opportunities to do this. Be on the lookout for small ways that you can put your husband or wife first and yourself second. Go out of your way to esteem and honor them above yourself. Think about their needs far above your own. But it isn't just a matter of denying yourself when a need arises, but rather seeking out ways in which you can proactively meet the needs of your spouse before they even ask.

This also does much for your relationship with your children. Too often as parents we put the emotional and spiritual needs of our children behind our own, and they suffer greatly for it. Be diligent to guard and nurture the heart of your child by thinking of them more and thinking of yourself less. When tiredness and anxiety creep in, be on the alert that it is at these times that you will be more likely to place yourself above them, neglecting their needs to do what the world calls 'self-care,' which is just a fancy way of saying 'putting yourself before everyone else.'

II. Take up your cross for the sake of the Gospel

For many American Christians, the thought of speaking the truth of the Gospel in the public square is daunting. "What will my coworkers think?" "What will my classmates think?" "What will the people on the PTO Board think?"

The truth is, many times you will get a mixed reaction. Many will applaud you, some may even 'Amen!' you, but many will attack you, and even more will whisper quietly about you. They will sow seeds of hate because of your allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ. They will mock you and say all sorts of evil against you. But rest in this, dear friend: in the moments of scorn and hate for the sake of righteousness and the Gospel, you are never more like Jesus Christ. He himself bore his cross, walking up the mountain to Golgotha in the midst of all manner of hate and wickedness, never opening his mouth to curse back, steadily marching onward to the victory of Calvary. Part of our union with Christ is the sharing of his sufferings. For us, we must become acquainted with the grief and pain that the world seeks to inflict upon us. This is the natural reaction of darkness to the light. It will flee, but not quietly.

For you to make any progress at all in the journey of sanctification and conformity to Christ, you must be willing to lay a cross upon your shoulders in the middle of a crowd of screaming God-haters and say with our King, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

III. Follow Jesus for the sake of your soul

Finally, for the Christian, your life must look increasingly like the life of Jesus. This can only happen by following close behind him, watching the way he lived, and seeking by the Holy Spirit's help to emulate him. I don't want to overstate the gravity of this, but to use Jesus' own language, your life depends on it.

Following doesn't mean liking the things Jesus did/does.

Following doesn't mean keeping up with what kinds of cool things Jesus is doing in the world today.

Following doesn't mean trying to replicate the good moral teachings of Jesus to try and live a better life.

Following means being covered in the dust of his feet.

Following means walking so closely to him, that if he were to stop walking, you would run into him.

This is done by knowing what he said and how he lived in the gospels and by communing with him in prayer by the Holy Spirit. These are the primary ways that God has given for us to become like Jesus, to follow him. Simple proximity to people who follow him won't do. The faith of your momma and the person in the pew next to you won't do anything at all for your soul. You must be committed, every single day, to following behind your risen Savior, or in the words of Revelation 14, "Follow[ing] the Lamb wherever he goes."

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I pray that this simple and direct way of thinking will guide you on the path of Christ. It isn't an exhaustive treatment of the text but is, I hope, a helpful guide for you to gauge your life by every day. Memorize this passage of Scripture. Ingest it. Meditate on it. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to see ways that you can deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. I can promise you this:

"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as its working." - James 5:16