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Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

 

Date: September 3, 2024

I use the BLESS method every morning for my devotional.

B - Bible Verse
L - Listen for God's Voice and pray
E - Explore the History and meaning
S - Study the Key Words or Phrases
S - Summarize and Share

 

B - Bible Verse in NIV (Luke 9:23) Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

L - Listen for God's Voice and pray Dear Heavenly Father, we come before You with open hearts, ready to follow Jesus. Help us to understand what it means to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. Give us the strength and courage to surrender our will to Yours. May our lives reflect true discipleship as we follow Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.

E - Explore the History and meaning Jesus spoke these words to His disciples and the crowd following Him. He was teaching about the cost of discipleship, making it clear that following Him requires sacrifice and commitment. The cross, a symbol of death and suffering in that time, represents the difficulties and self-denial involved in truly following Jesus.

S - Study the Key Words or Phrases

"Deny themselves" - Putting aside selfish desires and personal ambitions

"Take up their cross daily" - Accepting challenges and sacrifices as part of following Jesus

"Follow me" - Committing to Jesus' teachings and example in everyday life

S - Summarize and Share (Surrendered Hearts theme) These words of Jesus really challenge us to think about what it means to have a surrendered heart, don't they? It's not always an easy message to hear, but it's one that can transform our lives if we take it to heart.

When Jesus talks about denying ourselves, He's inviting us into a life where we put His will above our own desires. It's about surrendering our hearts to God's plan, even when it doesn't match up with what we thought we wanted. You know, sometimes we hold onto our own ideas so tightly, don't we? But Jesus is asking us to open our hands and let go, trusting that His way is better.

And then He mentions taking up our cross daily. Now, that might sound scary, but remember, Jesus isn't calling us to seek out suffering. Instead, He's inviting us to face each day with a willingness to endure whatever challenges come our way as we follow Him. It's about having a heart so surrendered to God that we're willing to say "yes" to His path, even when it's difficult.

Following Jesus with a surrendered heart means waking up each morning and saying, "Lord, what do You have for me today? How can I serve You? How can I put Your will first?" It's a daily choice to align our hearts with His, to let His love and purpose guide our actions and decisions.

Now, I know this isn't always easy. Our natural instinct is often to protect ourselves, to put our own comfort first. But Jesus promises us that when we surrender our hearts to Him, we find a life that's richer and fuller than anything we could have planned for ourselves.

Having a surrendered heart doesn't mean we become passive or lose our personality. Instead, it means we become more fully who God created us to be. We find our true purpose and joy in aligning our will with His.

So today, let's think about what areas of our lives we might be holding back from God. Are there dreams we're clutching too tightly? Fears we're letting control us? Habits we're reluctant to give up? Let's bring these before the Lord and ask Him to help us surrender them.

Remember, Jesus doesn't ask us to do this alone. He walks with us every step of the way, giving us strength and grace for each day. As we practice surrendering our hearts to Him, we'll find a peace and purpose that can only come from fully following our Savior.

3 Bible Cross References:

Galatians 2:20

Romans 12:1-2

Matthew 16:24-25

Question of the day: What's one small step you can take today to surrender your heart more fully to Jesus? Share your thoughts in the comments – your idea might inspire someone else to take a step of faith!

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