To follow Christ Jesus makes it worth denying ourselves.

The self denial of Jesus asked from him to be exactly the person that God sent him to be for our sake.  The cross and the suffering was his calling - and he did it for the sake of the Father and for the sake of his disciples!

This is what Jesus taught us in Mark 8: 34 – 35:  “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

But our human nature is to save “our lives”.  We want to be prosperous, strong, successful and influential.  Jesus has other priorities. He, on the other hand, came to serve, not to be served and he invites us to follow him and his ways.

In its return to the Bible, the Reformation rejected a “theology of glory” in favour of a “theology of the cross.”  To follow Jesus is to live lives of service to others, to serve rather than to be served and honoured.   It is the opposite of being proud of your class and status, especially at the expense of others.

The “theology of the cross” or “to deny oneself” does not mean an unnatural kind of humility.  We do not follow Jesus by demeaning ourselves.  We are called upon to do the very best we can with all the talents and abilities God has given us.

But to “deny oneself” means to keep one’s priorities in harmony with what Jesus told us in the two “great commandments” -- love God and love your neighbour (Mark 12:28-31) and seek first of all, the Kingdom of God!

There is indeed a great hope in what Jesus said that day. “Those who lose their lives for Jesus’ sake and the sake of the gospel will indeed save it” (Mark 8:35). To surrender our lives fully to Christ, means that I can and may serve him as the person he created me to be and also find the true purpose of why I am who I am,   and why I live where I live my life.

We are called to follow Jesus in this life.  In your life! 

Wherever your life takes you.

And we follow Jesus not only to be redeemed and one day go to heaven. No, we follow Jesus because it’s worth it.   It is worth to lay down our lives because we share in the benefits of the Gospel.

It is worth so much, that some are willing to die for their relationship with each other, with the Body of Christ, and for their personal relationship with Christ!

What are we willing to do!