Seven Marks of a DiscipleSample

Mark One: A disciple takes up the cross daily.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” —Luke 9:23

Jesus said that we’re to “take up [our] cross daily” and follow Him. At times I find myself thinking, This isn’t what I signed up for! I thought I was getting the “nice green pastures” and “still waters” of Psalm 23! I thought this was supposed to be “Good News”!

The cross of Christ is so important to us because the flesh, our old nature that resists God’s will, pushes us to keep the self on the throne of our lives. Our self-will resists God’s will in our hearts. The only thing in us that is powerful enough to deal with sin and self-will is the cross of Jesus Christ.

We’ve tried it on our own—to kick our bad habits, stop our evil ways, steer clear of what the Bible calls unrighteousness. Yet we end up right back into the same things. It is the cross of Christ that will help us “put to death” the bad patterns in our lives, habits we’ve been practicing for years. The cross of Jesus is the path to spiritual health, wholeness, and healing that can come from no other source. A disciple takes up his or her cross daily!