“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” - Galatians 5:24 CSBThe hard part about daily cross-bearing is that the old you does not stay quiet. That is why Jesus said daily. Not because His grace expires overnight. Not because His mercy runs out by morning. Not because your salvation resets every day. He said daily because the old self shows up d...  Read More

“For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.” - 1 Corinthians 1:18 CSBOne of the hardest parts of following Jesus is learning that obedience will not always look like winning. That matters. Because we have been trained by the world to measure victory in very specific ways.Victory looks like being respected.Victory looks...  Read More

“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 CSBLet’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...  Read More

“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 CSBThe danger with a devotional series like this is that we can agree with all of it and still obey none of it. That is worth saying out loud. Because spiritual agreement can feel like obedience when it is not. You can read about surrender and think, “That’s t...  Read More

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” - Luke 22:42 CSBThere is a danger when we talk about surrender. The danger is that we start hearing it like God is standing over us with crossed arms saying, “Try harder. Lay it down. Get serious. Prove yourself.” And if that is how you hear surrender, you will either become proud or crushed. P...  Read More

“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 CSBJesus ends the command with the goal. “Follow me.”That sounds simple. But simple does not mean light. Because by the time Jesus says, “follow me,” He has already said, “deny yourself” and “take up your cross daily.” So the call to follow Jesus is not casual...  Read More