The Price of Belonging

 

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

—Luke 9:23

Every organization worth belonging to has its own dues structure. It costs something in time or treasure to belong to something worthwhile. The question each person who belongs must ask himself or herself: “Is the price of belonging worth the benefits I receive?”

Belonging to God through His Son, Jesus, has a price, as well. Notice what Jesus said, as recorded in Luke 9:23:

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

To deny one’s self means to set aside an individual’s selfish human will and yield to God’s perfect, divine will. We do this through the enablement of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us the ability to set aside our natural human will and follow the pathway that God lays out before us through His perfect will and His written Word.

As we begin another new day, we need to renew our intention to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. As we do so, we have the opportunity to be more like Him. We can speak as He would speak, act as He would act, and do what He would do. By becoming more Christ-like, we have the opportunity of truly serving the Kingdom of God in the most effective way possible.

 

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