A Disciple Takes Up His or Her Cross And Follows Christ
read LUKE 9:23-25

Choosing to be a disciple of Jesus Christ takes more than just verbal affirmation.It takes daily sacrifice and commitment.When you follow Christ's guidelines for discipleship,you will find that the end result is far better than you could ever have imagined.Here are three things a true disciple of Christ should do:

1.Your Desires Must Take A Backseat To His Desires For Your Life.
Being a disciple means recognizing that God's plans for your life are ultimately better than your own.That may mean making some sacrifices in your life,suck as spending more of your time in God's Word,volunteering to teach children's Sunday school,or putting off that vacation to work on a ministry project.Yet,in relinquishing your own plans,you will find yourself drawn closer to the Lord.

2.You Must Take Up Your Cross Daily.
Jesus is not simply referring to a religious symbol.At this time in history,anyone seen carrying a cross was headed for a horrible death-by far the crulest of the deaths.Some have misunderstood this statement by Jesus to mean that your cross is your personalinconvenience or problems.In this passage,however,Jesus is talking about the act of dying to yourself.In essence,he wants you to lay down to yourself at his feet and say." I want your will more than my own" Once you have taken up that cross,you will experience the abundant life that Jesus promises to those who follow him.

3.You Must Lose Yourself To Save Yourself
Verse 24 may sound like a contradiciton when you first read it.Yet,if you truly want to find happiness and fulfillment,you must relinquish full control of your life to Jesus Christ.Paul wrote, "It is no longer i wo live,but Christ lives in me"(Galatians 2:20). Taking up the cross is no more a burden to the disciple than wings are to a bird.A surrendered life holds the key to a fulfilling walk.

Property of E401
TEEHEE =)



Jia Hui