Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Jesus said that discipleship is a daily matter. To deny oneself means giving Jesus the control over my life. Carrying a cross doesn’t mean that we will have difficulties every day. Here it means: to daily deny our egos and to submit gladly and willingly to Jesus – just as Paul said about himself, “I die daily.” When someone carried a cross in Jesus’ day, then he had been sentenced to death and was going to the place of execution. So it also has to do with accepting difficulties, which arise from following Jesus.

We received our physical life at birth. In order to maintain our life, strength and health we normally eat every day. We received our spiritual life when we were born again. In order to keep our spiritual life strong and healthy it is also necessary to take care of the inner person daily. If this doesn’t take place in our physical life as well as in our spiritual life, then we will become weak, sick or even die. We can neither eat meals ahead as reserve meals nor can we stockpile the Holy Spirit.

In the book The Acts of the Apostles there is valuable advice on this,

“As in the natural, so in the spiritual world. The natural life is preserved moment by moment by divine power; yet it is not sustained by a direct miracle, but through the use of blessings placed within our reach. So the spiritual life is sustained by the use of those means that Providence has supplied.” Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p.284

This comment in the book The Desire of Ages really impressed me,

“We are to follow Christ day by day. God does not bestow help for tomorrow.” Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 313

If you haven’t discovered the necessity of daily conversion, it can be a major breakthrough in your life. Morris Venden said,

‘If you will seek the Lord and be converted every day... all your murmurings will be stilled, all your difficulties will be moved, all the perplexing problems that now confront you will be solved.’” Morris Venden, 95 Theses on Righteousness by Faith, p. 96

“The abiding daily relationship with God leads to abiding surrender, moment-by-moment dependence on Him.” Morris Venden, 95 Theses on Righteousness by Faith, p. 233

CONSCIOUS SURRENDER

We may be certain that, when we consciously surrender ourselves to Jesus every morning, then we are doing what He wishes us to do, because He said: “Come to me ...” (Matt 11:28 NKJV) and: “... the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” (John 6:37 NKJV)

The great influence that God can exert through us when we completely surrender ourselves to Him is described by John Wesley as follows,

“God can do more with one man, who has committed himself 100 % to God, than He can with a whole army of men, who have only committed themselves 99 % to God.”

“All who consecrate soul, body, and spirit to God will be constantly receiving a new endowment of physical and mental power... The Holy Spirit puts forth its highest energies to work in heart and mind. The grace of God enlarges and multiplies their faculties, and every perfection of the divine nature comes to their assistance in the work of saving souls ... And in their human weakness they are enabled to do the deeds of Omnipotence.” Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (1898), p.827

QUESTIONS FOR MEDITATION & DEVOTION

1. What is being shown every day that shows you became a disciple?

2. How can you care for your “inner person daily”?

3. Can you detect how you have been using the blessings placed within your reach?

4. In your opinion, what does it mean “conscious surrender”?

5. Can you number the things you need to surrender?