“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his CROSS, and follow me”(Matthew 16:24).

Christian believers all across the globe are celebrating HOLY week! This is the week we have set aside to remember what Jesus did for us. He was betrayed by Judas, He was arrested and beaten by Roman soldiers, sentenced to death, hung on a cross between two thieves, and eventually Jesus in His own time when He decided when His final work was done, He gave up the Ghost. My friend, Jesus died for our sins, that we could have eternal life. And, in this passage, as He was teaching His disciples concerning what manner He would die. He then told them that “if any man will come after me.” This spoke of the initial surrender of the new birth when a person comes to Christ for salvation, and the old life of sin is exchanged for a new life of righteousness. Then Jesus directs His attention to the activity of the believer; “let him deny himself, and take up his CROSS, and follow me”. Serving Jesus involves self-denial, as our service is to mirror the sacrifice He made for us. Jesus denied His own feels, His own emotions, His own hurt, and His own comfort to ensure we had an opportunity to be saved. And, we are to take our “CROSS” of self-denial every day and follow after Him. My friend, I ask you this morning, have you completely surrendered your life to God? This morning, Father, pray for our readers that we would reflect upon our “CROSS” of self-denial, and if we have not already that we would FULLY surrender all of our efforts for the Kingdom of God. Be Blessed in Jesus’ Name!