Following Jesus

CALL TO PRAYER

By: Stephen Osei Kuffour

Date: 14.05.2023

Title: Following Jesus

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  (Luke 9:23 NKJV)

What are you chasing in this life? Are you after money, pleasure, fame, or power? As Christians, we are supposed to be chasing or following Jesus Christ. I will have to admit that this is not an easy task. It is however very rewarding because from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. When we follow Him diligently and seek Him first above everything else, He takes care of our needs and provides in abundance (Matt 6:33).

It is also very important to know that there is nothing too hard for Him and with Him all things are possible (Matt 19:26). If you want to be a true follower of Jesus, there are some things that are required of you. Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke about them in the above Scripture, and I would like to share some of these things with you.

First of all, you must deny yourself. To deny means to restrain yourself from your gratifications and desires. There are many things which are pleasurable but yet sinful. For example, sex can be pleasurable outside marriage but it’s sinful and you must deny yourself when you are not married. There are also some things you may love doing which are not sinful per se but occupy majority of your time.

You have to be ready to sacrifice these things to do the Will of the Lord if you want to be a true follower of Christ. There are times you have to deny yourself of food in order to fast and pray. You may have to deny yourself of sleep to study the word and pray in the night. You may also have to sacrifice your time for Hobby or Family to go out and preach the Gospel.

Another requirement is a progression from self-denial. You must take up your cross. The cross was a symbol of suffering. The cross entails suffering which can be mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual. For example, forgiveness can be a traumatic experience especially when you have to forgive and relate to someone you love who has wounded you deeply. You may also be persecuted and even be killed because of your Faith just as Stephen and the other early disciples experienced (Acts 7). Every true Follower of Christ should always be prepared to die for the Kingdom’s sake as Christ did (1 Pet 2:24).

Last but not the least, diligence is required if you want to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. We have to deny ourselves every single day till we die. It’s easy to sacrifice something occasionally, but to do it daily is really difficult. That’s why diligence is required. We have to be faithful to the end (Matt 24:12).

Beloved in the Lord, there are so many things in this world that you may desire to follow. However, all these worldly things will lead you to eternal suffering and damnation. Jesus Christ is the best person to follow to have true life and the fullness of it. Following Christ requires a lot of dedication and sacrifices. Following Jesus is not easy but it’s worth it so keep on doing it!

Prayer Point:

Let’s thank God for His Word today. Let’s ask the Lord to help all Believers to be conscious of all the sacrifices required to be His follower. Let’s also ask the Lord to give us the Grace to deny ourselves, carry our cross and follow Him diligently.

God bless you all