Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and His angels.” Matthew 25:41
“To many the saying, “Deny thyself, take up thy cross and follow Me,” seems hard, but it will be much harder to hear that final word: “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.” Those who hear the word of the cross and follow it willingly now, need not fear that they will hear of eternal damnation on the day of judgment. This sign of the cross will be in the heavens when the Lord comes to judge. Then all the servants of the cross, who during life made themselves one with the Crucified, will draw near with great trust to Christ, the judge.”
Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) in The Imitation of Christ (Grand Rapids, CCEL), p. 57.
As I continue to explore what is ‘needful’ in this classic work, I love the fact that it is needful not fear the moment we meet Jesus if we have denied ourselves, taken up our crosses, and followed Him.
This inspires me to deny myself.
I want safety, but Jesus stretches me to trust Him to work in unsafe situations. I crave comfort, but Jesus calls me to Christlikeness which appears as choosing to live on mission which may not be comfortable.
This inspires me to take up my cross.
This implies the hardest thing I will ever do. It will not be easy. But if I am willing to risk everything, I gain the kingdom. If I count the cost and pay the price, the gain will be unimaginable.
This inspires me to follow Jesus.
I have learned that obedience seems hard but it is actually for my good and God’s glory. It has a cost but the cost is far less than the price of not doing it. If I obey, I experience God’s generosity.
Jesus, you did not hesitate to deny yourself and take up your cross. Help me do the same thing knowing that someday I will gain the kingdom with you. Amen.
Today is my last full day in Pakistan on this trip. Thanks for your prayers for fruitful meetings.