When Following Jesus Starts Costing You

“Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.’” - Luke 9:23 CSB

Let’s be honest. Most of us like the idea of following Jesus until following Jesus starts costing us something.

• We like the peace.
• We like the forgiveness.
• We like the comfort of knowing God is near.
• We like the songs, the encouragement, the community, the hope, the promise of eternal life.

And all of that is real. All of that is beautiful. All of that is grace.

But then Jesus opens His mouth in Luke 9:23, and He does not describe discipleship like a religious upgrade to the life we already wanted. He does not say, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him add me to his schedule when convenient.” He says, “Let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

That word "daily" matters. Because most of us can handle one big emotional moment. We can handle a powerful Sunday. We can handle a worship song that makes us tear up. We can handle a moment at the altar. We can handle saying, “Lord, I surrender,” when the room is quiet and the conviction is strong. But then Monday comes. And the self we denied yesterday starts trying to climb back onto the throne today.

• It shows up in our tone.
• It shows up in our reactions.
• It shows up in what we refuse to forgive.
• It shows up in what we keep hidden.
• It shows up in the text message we want to send.
• It shows up when we are tired.
• It shows up when obedience feels like loss.

That’s where cross-bearing gets real. Because the cross is not a symbol of mild inconvenience. In Jesus’ day, the cross meant death. Public death. Shameful death. Costly death. When someone picked up a cross, they were not heading toward personal branding, self-improvement, or a better version of themselves. They were walking toward an execution.

So when Jesus says, “Take up your cross daily,” He is telling us something we cannot soften: following Him means something in us has to die. Not once. Daily.

• The desire to always be right has to die.
• The need to control every outcome has to die.
• The bitterness we have been feeding has to die.
• The secret compromise we keep protecting has to die.
• The version of obedience that only obeys when it feels comfortable has to die.

And here’s where this gets real. Vague surrender rarely changes anything. “I need to trust God more” can sound spiritual while still protecting the very thing Jesus is touching. “I need to surrender that area” can become a safe sentence that lets us avoid naming the actual area. Jesus is more specific than that. He says take up your cross daily.

So the question today is not, “Do I generally believe in Jesus?” That question matters, but Luke 9:23 presses deeper. The question is: Where is following Jesus costing me something right now?

• In your marriage, where is obedience costly?
• In your parenting, where is obedience costly?
• In your private habits, where is obedience costly?
• In your schedule, where is obedience costly?
• In your money, where is obedience costly?
• In your attitude, where is obedience costly?
• In that relationship where you keep replaying what they did, where is obedience costly?

Because that place may be the very place Jesus is putting His finger.

And we need to be careful here. Not every hard thing in your life is your cross. A frustrating day is not automatically your cross. A difficult person is not automatically your cross. Normal life pressure is not always cross-bearing. In Luke 9:23, the cross is tied to allegiance to Jesus. It is the willingness to lose what the old self wants to keep because Christ is worth more. That means cross-bearing is not about chasing pain. It is about choosing obedience when obedience costs comfort, control, approval, pride, or convenience.

And if we’re honest, that is where many of us start negotiating. We want Jesus, but we still want comfort to define faithfulness. We want Jesus, but we still want obedience to look impressive. We want Jesus, but we still want to avoid anything that makes us feel weak, misunderstood, exposed, or different. But Jesus does not invite us to follow Him while keeping self-rule alive. He says, “Deny yourself.” Then He says, “Take up your cross daily.”
Then He says, “Follow me.” That order matters. Because following Jesus is not built on self being managed. It is built on self being dethroned.

And that is painful because self-rule always feels natural to us. We naturally protect ourselves. Defend ourselves. Excuse ourselves. Preserve comfort. Guard image. Keep control. Call it wisdom. But Jesus is too loving to let us keep living under a master that is killing us. So today, do not rush past the question. Where does obedience to Jesus feel costly right now?

Name it.

Do not keep it vague. Do not spiritualize it. Do not hide behind general language. Name the place. Name the cost. Name what has to die. Then ask for Spirit-given power to obey. Because Jesus is not calling you to convenient faith. He is calling you to Himself. And He is worth more than whatever the cross is costing you.

Reflection Question
Where is Jesus calling you to obey this week in a way that will cost you comfort, control, pride, approval, or convenience?

The place where obedience feels costly may be the place Jesus is putting His finger.

Prayer
Jesus, I confess that I often want the benefits of following You without the cost of surrender. I protect comfort. I guard control. I excuse delayed obedience. Show me where the old self is trying to climb back onto the throne today. Give me Spirit-given power to take up my cross, not in theory, but in the real place where obedience feels costly. Help me follow You because You are worthy of my whole life. Amen.