It’s that time of year again: new journals, new plans, and new resolutions. We resolve to eat better, exercise more, manage our time, and finally get organized. None of that is wrong. But rarely do we put self-denial at the top of the list.
Yet when Jesus speaks about following him, that’s exactly where he begins. Discipleship is not shaped by personal improvement but by personal surrender. If anyone would come after him, Jesus says, there is a cross to carry—and that means something about us must change.
An Invitation
Jesus is not addressing a special class of Christians. He is not speaking only to the especially committed or spiritually mature. He is speaking to anyone who would identify with him as a disciple.
In other words, if anyone claims to be a Christian—a believer, a follower of Jesus—this is what he requires.
Discipleship is not passive admiration. It is active, costly allegiance.
Self-Denial
Jesus begins by instructing prospective disciples that they must “deny themselves” (Luke 9:23). I don’t think Jesus has in mind a denial of self-interest. He’s not saying that we should refuse to eat, sleep, or enjoy God’s good gifts. Instead, he has selfishness in his crosshairs.
You can’t worship yourself and Jesus at the same time.
One of the great problems in the world is that there are roughly 8.2 billion gods walking around, each convinced we deserve first place. It’s little wonder there’s so much friction between people—we all want to be god. But Jesus says that if you are going to follow him, you must step down from the throne. You cannot worship yourself and follow Jesus at the same time.
To deny yourself is to repudiate your claim to be first—to willingly move yourself back in line. It means putting God first and then considering the interests of others. And this denial reshapes our identity in concrete ways.
Our allegiance changes. We no longer answer only to ourselves; we belong to God.
Our ambition changes. We desire to please him rather than exalt ourselves.
Our authority changes. We submit to God’s will instead of insisting on our own.
Life is no longer ordered around how we think and feel. Instead of asking merely what seems right, we ask what honors the Lord and aligns with his word.
Cross-Bearing
Next, Jesus says that his disciples must “take up his cross daily and follow him” (Luke 9:23). Everyone who heard Jesus would have known exactly what he meant. Under Roman occupation, the cross was not a metaphor. It was a public instrument of shame, suffering, and death—a vivid reminder of Rome’s power to crush opposition.
So why does Jesus use this image? Because discipleship requires identification with him. Jesus would soon take up his own cross to identify with sinners like us. It follows, then, that those who belong to him must be willing to identify with him. The apostle Paul models this when he writes, “I have been crucified with Christ… and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Following Jesus means identifying with him—who he is and what he has done.
Taking up our cross also means submission to God’s will. Think of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. Under the shadow of the cross, he prayed, “Not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). The heartbeat that pulses through the passion narrative—and culminates here—is submission to God’s will. Jesus’s cross-bearing was obedience to the Father. And likewise, his disciples must submit to God’s word.
How do we take up the cross daily? There are many reasons, but at minimum it means identifying with Jesus and submitting ourselves to God’s word.
A Cross-Shaped Resolution
The sad reality is that for many professing Christians, Jesus is followed only until it becomes uncomfortable. But according to Jesus, he isn’t actually followed until we are made uncomfortable.
As we think about resolutions and the year ahead, Jesus’s words press us to consider some searching questions:
- What are we actually sacrificing in obedience to him?
- How specifically are we denying ourselves?
- Am I known by my public identification with Jesus?
- Is my life characterized by submission to God’s word—even when it is inconvenient, uncomfortable, or unpopular?
These questions are not meant to crush us, but to clarify. They expose whether our discipleship is merely verbal or genuinely cross-shaped.
So as you make plans for the year ahead, consider the requirements Jesus places before you—not simply to do more, but to die daily. Not to put yourself first, but to follow the one who loved you and gave himself for you.
Jesus does not call us merely to admire his cross or hang it neatly around our necks. He calls us to take one up and follow him. That means self-rule must give way to submission, comfort to obedience, and selfishness to service.
Discipleship begins where self-denial becomes real—and where the cross is no longer a symbol we cherish, but the path we walk.
So as you leave the house each morning and take inventory—phone, keys, wallet—include one more: cross. Every day.
As you look ahead to a new year—with fresh goals and good intentions—hear again the invitation of Jesus. He does not offer a program of self-improvement, but a path of self-denial. It’s the path of life.
His commands are simple to understand but not easy to follow. It’s costly. But, Jesus is worth it!
