"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."
Jesus kind of gives a list of sacrifices of what it takes to follow him. It's not an easy thing at all. First the follower must, "turn from [their] selfish ways." They must give up every selfish thing. Anything that they do for themselves must be given up. That's a lot in itself. You wanna do that? Well too bad. Your selfish desires must be gone.
Second, they must, "take up [their] cross." This is a big deal. The cross isn't a shiny little pendant you wear around your neck. It's a sign of death. Not a peaceful death either. The cruelest of the cruel. The worst death imaginable. Crucifixion. Following Jesus will take your life. You will die for him as well as live for him. They're one in the same. You must be willing to give your whole being to following him. That's a whole lot.
Third, you must "follow [him]." This might sound easy, but it's not. He might go somewhere or call you to go somewhere that you just don't want to. You might be tired. You might not want to stand out. You may decide that this isn't what you want. It's a big commitment. It doesn't end. Following Jesus has as a starting point, but not an end point. You just keep going until you're done. Gone. With him.
The more of yourself you give up for him, the closer you will be to him. The reward is great. Eternity in Heaven. That's a big deal. If you stay with your selfish ways, you will lose your life. An eternity of excruciating uncertainty. Your ultimate demise.
You have to give a lot to get a lot in return. The more you get rid of your self the more you become like Jesus and the more he will ultimately bless you with. Religion is a messy thing. It's packed full of emotion and losing yourself, so he can shine. It's the best mess you can make. It isn't going to be easy, but boy will it be worth it.
:)
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