This devotional on following Jesus explains his clear, costly invitation: discipleship is a daily surrender, not a one-time decision. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23, ESV). Ask him today where to say yes to his way.
Key Verse
“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, ESV)
The Setting of Luke 9
Luke 9 is a turning point in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had fed five thousand people with a few loaves and fish (Luke 9:10–17). Crowds were following him. Then, while praying alone with his disciples, he asked who they thought he was. Peter answered that Jesus was God’s Christ (Luke 9:20).
That was the right answer, but the disciples’ picture of the Messiah was incomplete. They likely expected a conquering king. Jesus immediately told them he would suffer, be rejected by the religious leaders, be killed, and rise on the third day (Luke 9:22). Then he turned to everyone listening and gave the invitation in our key verse. If you follow me, you will walk the same road.
A few verses later, Luke says Jesus resolutely headed for Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). The road of discipleship is the road to the cross, and then beyond it to resurrection.
An Invitation to All
Luke notes that Jesus said this to all. He did not reserve this call for a spiritual elite of pastors and missionaries. Every believer is invited to follow, and every believer is asked for the same surrender.
Deny, Take Up, Follow
Deny yourself. This is not self-hatred, but saying no to self-rule. It means giving up the right to be the final authority over your own life.
Take up your cross daily. In Jesus’ day, the cross meant one thing: death, often public and shameful. A person carrying a cross was not coming back. Luke alone adds the word daily. Following Jesus means dying to our own agenda every day, in big and small choices.
Follow me. The goal is not suffering for its own sake but staying close to Jesus wherever he leads. The cross is the path; Jesus himself is the destination.
What Following Is Not
Following Jesus is not the same as admiring him. Many in the crowds admired his teaching and enjoyed his miracles, then turned back when his words grew hard (John 6:66). Following is also not earning salvation by suffering. Jesus carried the cross that saves us; our daily cross is the shape of a life that already belongs to him. And following is not a solo project. Jesus called disciples into a group, and we follow him best alongside others who are walking the same road.
The Narrow Way
Jesus described the narrow gate and the hard road that leads to life, which few find (Matthew 7:13–14). Following him often means going against the crowd. Yet he promised in the very next verse that anyone who loses their life for his sake will save it (Luke 9:24). What looks like loss turns out to be the only real gain.
A Personal Application: The Small Crosses
Daily means today. For most of us, the cross is not a dramatic moment of persecution. It is how you respond to an irritating coworker, how you spend your money, what you scroll late at night, and whom you choose to forgive. Following Jesus is a series of small yeses to him and small nos to ourselves.
Pick one recurring moment this week where you usually choose your own way, perhaps the first reaction when your spouse criticizes you, or the habit of checking your phone during family dinner. Each time it comes, pause for one breath and pray: Jesus, I will follow you here. Then choose his way. Small surrenders, repeated, shape a life.
And remember: he never asks us to walk alone. He goes ahead of us on the road.
Today, Try This
Each morning this week, pray, Jesus, I will follow you today. Then identify one specific choice where you will set aside your preference for his way.
Reflection Question
What is one area where following Jesus today would mean saying no to yourself?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I want to follow you. Help me deny myself, take up my cross daily, and walk the narrow way with you. Give me courage for small choices and big ones. When following you costs me something, remind me that you gave everything for me. Thank you that you walked this road first. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to take up your cross daily?
In Luke 9:23, Jesus calls followers to daily surrender their own agenda and be willing to suffer for his sake. The cross was an instrument of death, so it pictures dying to self-rule and choosing Jesus’ way each day.
What does it cost to follow Jesus?
Following Jesus may cost comfort, popularity, possessions, or plans, as he warned in Luke 9:23–25 and 14:25–33. But he promises that anyone who loses their life for his sake will save it (Luke 9:24). The narrow way leads to life.
What does it mean to deny yourself and take up your cross?
To deny yourself means giving up the right to run your own life. To take up your cross means being willing to suffer loss, shame, or even death for Jesus. To follow him means daily obedience, staying close to him wherever he leads.
Keep Reading
- Explore more: what the narrow gate means (Matthew 7:13-14)
- Read more daily devotionals
- Related: our devotional: Great Commission Devotional
- Related: our devotional: Devotional on Dying to Self
- Related: read: Devotional on Surrender
- Bible Verses by Topic