Take Up Your Cross
by Kellen Westering
“Then he said to the crowd, ‘If any of you want to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.’”
Luke 9:23-24
Luke 9:23-24 speaks about the cost and commitment of following Jesus. It emphasizes three key aspects: surrender, sacrifice, and daily devotion.
Give up your own way: To follow Jesus, you must let go of self-centered ambitions, desires, and plans, choosing instead to align your life with His will and teachings.
Take up your cross daily: This signifies a willingness to endure challenges, hardships, and even persecution for the sake of following Christ. It’s a call to embrace self-denial and to live with a mindset of serving God and others above yourself.
Lose your life to save it: Clinging to worldly pursuits or selfish desires may feel like self-preservation, but it ultimately leads to emptiness. However, surrendering your life to Jesus—living for His purposes rather than your own—leads to true life, joy, and eternal fulfillment.
This verse challenges us to trust that God’s plans are greater than our own, encouraging us to live a life of purpose, sacrifice, and faithfulness to Him.
Now that we know a little about the foundation of Luke 9:23-24, I want to share why this is my life verse.
Denying yourself and taking up your cross truly is a daily choice we have to make. With all the distractions in this world, it’s vital that we surrender each day. Before I leave for work each morning, I pick up my pocket cross and recite Luke 9:23-24. Keeping a cross in my pocket serves as a constant reminder of the call to take up His cross daily and follow Him. It helps me stay grounded in faith and mindful of living with purpose and sacrifice for His glory.
It took me 30 years to really embrace this verse and apply it to my life. You might be asking: “Why did it take so long? You were raised in a Christian family; you grew up in the church, what was the hold up?” One word: control! Letting go and trusting God can be one of the hardest things to do, especially when we feel the need to control our circumstances, and I was the king of wanting to control my own circumstances. I can’t tell you how many times I would make a decision and I would tell God to get on board with the idea. This quote hit me right between the eyes, “God laughs when you tell him your plans.”
When I tried to control my life instead of surrendering it to God, I caused myself so much unnecessary pain and frustration. I chased after my own plans, only to find emptiness and disappointment when they didn’t fulfill me. My constant striving left me feeling weary and lost, as I carried burdens I was never meant to bear alone. It was only when I let go and trusted God that I began to heal and find the peace I had been missing.
When you truly surrender your life to the Lord and take up His cross daily, life doesn’t all the sudden become easy, friends. Satan knows his scout and he will keep attacking. But with daily surrender, you’re no longer fighting the fight on your own power. You have Jesus taking the wheel and leading the charge! Fighting the battle of temptation becomes possible when you lean on God’s strength instead of your own. He equips you with the power to resist through prayer, His Word, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. With God on your side, you’re never fighting alone—He provides a way out even in the toughest moments. Trusting in His strength gives you the victory to overcome what once seemed impossible.
If you’re reading this and you are struggling with selfishness and control, please take it from someone who has hurt so many due to my own selfish desires and control issues: let go of the need to hold onto every aspect of your life and trust that God has a greater plan for you! Surrendering your plans to Him opens the door for His will to unfold in ways you never imagined. When you let God take the lead, you’ll witness the incredible things He can do with your life!
REFLECTION:
If you’re honest with yourself, have you fully surrendered yourself to the Lord?
What are some things that you have been holding onto in your life that you could surrender to the Lord? Share with a friend and ask them to pray with you!
Challenge: Memorize Luke 9:23-24. Write it down, post it around your house, encourage a friend to join you, and let the Word of God transform your heart.