I'm quite tired and it's late, so I'm going to make this one quick. After yesterday's writing about giving up the burden of that $72,000 to Jesus I decided today to look into what Jesus tells us to do when it comes to following him. Jesus is very clear that we need to put everything else aside in our lives and focus on following him. We are to focus on Jesus over our own families (Luke 9:61) and over our grief (Luke 9:59). Earlier in Luke 9, Jesus is very clear with what we must do, as we read in 23-25 "Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?" It doesn't matter what we focus on if it's not Jesus first, that will result in nothing if we aren't focusing on Jesus first and foremost. Focusing on your job, or school, or family are all things that we should do, but we absolutely must put Jesus first. We must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow him. The best part is that our cross is so much lighter because Jesus died on the cross for our sins to carry our burdens for us. So in order to get closer with Christ, deny yourself, you must first be humbled and then follow Jesus. For what good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet lose their soul? 

Prayer:

Dear Jesus, 

I pray that I can truly deny myself and follow you. 

You are the rock that I should build my foundation on. 

You should be the main focus of my life, 

Lord please help this be the case. 

I pray for those who need to deny themselves and follow you, 

and I pray for those who do follow you but still need to daily take up their cross. 

I pray for in the future days that I take up my cross day by day and truly follow you. 

In Jesus' name I pray, 

Amen.