July 6, 2020
Then he said to them all: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
Luke 9:23
As Christ-followers, we’re called to live lives of righteousness. I try to live a life of righteousness; I think of righteousness as perfect goodness. We know I will never be righteous; Jesus is the Righteous one who took my sin away. But I do want to try, and I do want to grow closer to God.
“If we want to grow closer to God, we’ll have to distance ourselves from whatever is distracting us.” Lysa TerKeurst
Luke 9:23 tells us: Then he said to them all: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
That invitation is for us too. We also are invited to draw close to Jesus. I can’t imagine being one of those disciples walking out my front door, leaving everything behind and never going back. But I can give up a lot of distractions. For example, I have to focus on talking to God first thing in the morning before I read emails or take the dog out. You’d think being quarantined would make dealing with distractions easier, but it doesn’t.
To take up your cross daily might mean something different for you, but for me it means to put God first, second, and last. To walk away from the distractions and read His word, then sit in silence and wait for Him to speak.
That’s how I will grow closer to God; that’s how I will try to be more righteous.
Suzan Scudder