Have you ever seen those ads that promise the secret solution, never before revealed, to a problem you are having? They say if you follow their method or take purchase their product all of your problems will go away. Those never work out, or else everyone would be doing it. The Bible does tell us the secret to serving Jesus and how to live a life you never expected.
Matthew 10:38-39
And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.”
A Symbol of Sacrifice
Jesus tells his disciples what the cost of discipleship is if they chose to follow him. It’s simple. Mark 8:33 tells us that we need to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow him. Taking up the cross was something that every Jew knew well. The Romans used the cross to punish those who rebelled against Roman rule. They would hang them on a cross alongside a busy road as a message to anyone else who had thoughts of doing the same.
Find Something Much Better
We take up our cross when we live for Jesus, tells others about him, and suffer the persecution that Jesus did. Never once did he candy coat what it took to follow him. The secret of serving Jesus would take everything we have, but in the process of losing our life, we will find a life much better than we can make on our own.
Take the Step
To live a life worthy of following Christ takes sacrifice, plain and simple. If we are following Jesus because of what he can do for us, we will end up disappointed when he doesn’t do what we want him to. If we realize that we are a sinner in need of grace and that the greatest honor is that Jesus wants us to follow him losing what little we have without him isn’t that big of a burden. Take the step to follow him today. You won’t regret it.