“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).
It is not about you or me. We did not invent life. We can barely (if at all) control our own life. The One who is the author of life calls us to follow Him and He will show us what life is. The struggle runs deep in our sin-sick soul. He must carefully pull each thorn of sin out of us to make of us what He will. You do not need to figure it out, for He knows the plans He laid down at the foundation of all things.
Lord, I do want to do things my way. I have a strong will and it often gets in the way. Lead me, Lord, so that I may humbly follow where You lead. Teach me how to deny myself so that I may come into Your purpose. I worry about this life, but You have told me to stop worrying about this life. Teach me what it means to deny myself for Your sake so that I walk in faith with You leading.
Lord Jesus, You denied Yourself by taking my sin with You on the cross. Help me to take up my cross and learn what it means to deny myself. Help me to get out of the way so that the Holy Spirit can guide me. You know what I need. Help me to live with You being the One who, in every situation, provides counsel for my thoughts, words, and deeds. Help me to focus upon living rightly and not upon being saved. You have already done all that is needed, my Lord, Savior, and God. Amen.
