“Then he said to all, anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him and keep close to me!” Luke 9:23 (TLB)
Jesus is speaking to the twelve apostles one day. Peter has told Jesus that he knows he is the son of God; the messiah. The King of Kings speaks of his rejection by the Jewish people, his death, and finally, his resurrection. He then sets out the rules for being a disciple. These rules were for the benefit of the apostles on the day when he spoke them, and they are for the benefit of anyone who wishes to follow Jesus at any point in history.
The Master tells all who wish to follow him to forget their needs, comfort, and desires. So often, new Christians miss this part and never develop any spiritual maturity because they think they pray the sinner’s prayer, and then they are done. This is why our churches are filled with spiritual infants.
You can’t feed the meat of the Lord’s word to little babies. They are not able to digest it, and may choke trying. The King says, ”Pick up your cross and follow me.” Stay close to me, and keep your eyes on me, so that you will complete your journey and not fall down and get lost in the world. Then I can praise you to the heavenly host, and honor you before my Father. But for those who are ashamed of me, or my words, I shall be ashamed of them before the angels. You must lose the world togain paradise.
Copyright 2007 Timothy E. Davis