Matthew 16:24 — “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'”
Lent is a time we practice stillness before the Lord as we meditate on His love and sacrifice on the Cross for us. We slow down our steps to hear Him speak to us.
Lent is also a season of surrender. We surrender ourselves, our desires, our dreams, our ambitions and our worries to God to realign to His heart and will for us.
DENY OURSELVES
To deny ourselves is to remember we belong to the Lord. In surrendering, we say, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”
TAKE UP OUR CROSS
The Cross is where we see the ultimate love of God the Father for us:His Only Son was nailed on the Cross and died on it for our behalf so that we do not have to die eternally but we are reconciled to God our Heavenly Father.
To take up our cross is to embrace the sacrificial love of Jesus. It may not be something we want to do in our human nature, but we do so because Jesus has sent an example for us.
FOLLOW JESUS
To follow Jesus is to walk the path He walked — with love, humility, justice, mercy and obedience to God, the Father.
Let us ask ourselves:
(1) What areas in life am I resisting the call to deny myself?
(2) What cross am I being invited to carry?
(3) In what ways is Jesus calling me to follow Him more closely?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, teach me to deny myself in love,
to take up the cross you’ve entrusted to me to carry,
and to follow you with all my heart.
Take away my pride and selfishness.
May your Spirit give me strength and joy
as I walk this Lenten road with You.
Amen.