Matthew 16:24

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'" Matthew 16:24

I tried to look up the key words in this verse to see what their meanings were, hoping to shed some amazing insight. Guess what "anyone" means? Anyone.  Guess what "deny" means. Deny. Guess what cross means? Cross. Guess what "follow" means? You got it! Follow.

If there was ever a literal verse, this might just be it. No mysterious hidden meanings. Simply...you want to follow me? Forget about yourself. I bore my cross, so if you want to follow me, you have a cross to bear too?

What do you have a hard time leaving behind/denying?

What is your cross?

Are you at all motivated to bear your cross, knowing Jesus bore his for you?

Do you have any hints to share on how we can keep that concept in front of us on a daily basis?