Following Christ Through Daily Self-Dial

By Dave Jenkins

Jesus never presented discipleship as an occasional addition to an otherwise self-directed life. He calls sinners to come to Him, to belong to Him, and to walk after Him. This call is full of grace because it brings us to the Savior who gave Himself for us. Yet it is also costly because the Savior does not merely improve our plans. He claims us for Himself.

Many Christians understand that following Jesus involves believing the right things and attending to the ordinary means of grace. Those matters are essential. But discipleship also reaches into the daily decisions of the heart. It confronts the desire to protect our comfort, preserve our reputation, insist on our preferences, and live as if our lives were our own.

In Luke 9:23–26, Jesus gives His disciples a clear and searching description of what it means to follow Him. His words do not call us to earn salvation through suffering or religious effort. They call those who have received His grace to live under His lordship. The Christian life is a life of daily self-denial, cross-bearing, and faith-filled allegiance to Christ.

The Call Is for Every Disciple

Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The invitation is broad: “If anyone.” Christ does not reserve this call for pastors, missionaries, or unusually mature believers. Every Christian is a disciple, and every disciple is called to follow Jesus.

This is important because we can quietly divide the Christian life into two categories. We may imagine that some believers are serious disciples while others simply believe in Jesus and seek to live decent lives. Scripture gives us no such category. To trust Christ is to come after Christ. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, but the faith that receives Christ also joins us to Him. He becomes not only our Savior from judgment but our Lord and Master.

Jesus does not say that His disciples may follow Him whenever it fits conveniently into their schedules, ambitions, or relationships. He calls us after Himself. His Word, His will, and His glory now direct our lives. This does not make the Christian life joyless. It leads us to the only life that is truly life, because we were made for fellowship with and obedience to our Creator.

Self-Denial Is Not Self-Hatred

The phrase “deny himself” is often misunderstood. Jesus is not commanding Christians to despise their bodies, ignore their God-given responsibilities, or pretend that every desire is sinful. Scripture teaches that we are made in God’s image and that God gives good gifts to be received with thanksgiving (Genesis 1:27; 1 Timothy 4:4–5).

Self-denial means saying no to the rule of self. It is the refusal to make personal desire, comfort, approval, or control the final authority in our lives. Before Christ saves us, we naturally live for ourselves. We want our way. We want to define truth on our own terms. We want God to serve our plans rather than bowing before His.

Following Christ turns that pattern upside down. The question is no longer, “What do I want most?” but, “What has the Lord said?” This touches every area of life. It shapes how we speak to a difficult spouse, how we respond when someone sins against us, what we do with our time and money, how we use our words online, and whether we will obey when obedience costs us something.

Self-denial is not a single dramatic moment. It is a daily work of repentance and faith. Each day, the believer is called to put off the old patterns of sin and put on the new life that belongs to Christ (Ephesians 4:22–24). We do this not by sheer willpower but by the power of the Holy Spirit, who unites us to Christ and works in us both to will and to work for God’s good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

Taking Up the Cross Daily

Jesus then says that His disciples must “take up [their] cross daily.” In the first-century world, the cross was not a decorative religious symbol. It was an instrument of execution. To hear Jesus speak of taking up a cross was to hear a call to die.

Christ’s point is not that every hardship in life is a cross to bear. A difficult job, a chronic illness, or a frustrating circumstance may be a genuine trial, but Jesus is speaking specifically about the cost of belonging to Him. Taking up the cross means a settled willingness to suffer loss, rejection, or opposition rather than deny Christ or disobey His Word.

For some believers, this cost is visible and severe. Christians around the world are mocked, excluded, imprisoned, and even killed for their faith. The church should remember them and pray for them. But the call to take up the cross also comes to believers in ordinary places. It comes when faithfulness means refusing dishonest gain, speaking truth with humility, turning away from sexual sin, forgiving an offender, or standing upon biblical conviction when doing so brings misunderstanding.

Daily cross-bearing reminds us that discipleship is not built upon comfort. Jesus does not promise an easy road. He promises His presence, His grace, and His final victory. He has already gone before us. The One who calls us to take up the cross first bore the cross for our salvation. He was wounded for our transgressions, raised for our justification, and now reigns as the risen Lord. We follow a crucified and risen Savior.

Losing Our Lives to Save Them

Jesus explains the reason for this call: “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Luke 9:24). The world tells us to preserve ourselves at all costs. We are told to build our identity around personal fulfillment, protect our image, and avoid anything that threatens our autonomy.

Jesus exposes the tragedy of that path. A person may gain temporary comfort while losing what matters eternally. To live for self is finally to lose the very life one seeks to preserve. The pursuit of autonomy always disappoints because we were not created to be our own god.

But to lose our lives for Christ’s sake is not ultimate loss. It is the path of true life. The believer who gives up the claim to self-rule receives something far greater: Christ Himself. We receive forgiveness for our sins, adoption into God’s family, the presence of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with God’s people, and the sure hope of resurrection.

This does not mean that faithful obedience will always look successful by the standards of the world. It may look like choosing integrity over advancement, purity over immediate pleasure, or quiet faithfulness over public recognition. Yet nothing surrendered to Christ is wasted. The Lord sees the hidden obedience of His people, and He will complete the work He has begun in them (Philippians 1:6).

The Danger of Being Ashamed of Christ

Jesus adds a sober warning: “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory” (Luke 9:26). We should feel the weight of these words. It is possible to want the benefits associated with Christianity while being ashamed of Christ and His teaching.

We may be tempted to soften what Scripture says because we fear rejection. We may speak easily about God’s love while avoiding the call to repentance, the exclusivity of Christ, the reality of sin, or God’s design for holiness. We may want to appear acceptable to the world more than we want to be faithful to the Lord.

Jesus will not allow His followers to separate Him from His words. To receive Christ is to receive His authority. This does not give Christians permission to be harsh, proud, or needlessly offensive. We are called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), to be gentle and respectful (1 Peter 3:15), and to show the character of Christ. But love does not hide the truth that Christ has spoken.

The answer to the fear of man is not greater self-confidence. It is a greater fear of the Lord and a greater confidence in His grace. When we remember who Christ is, what He has done, and where history is going, the approval of people loses its power over us. The Son of Man will come in His glory. That final reality gives courage for present faithfulness.

Following Christ in Ordinary Faithfulness

Most daily self-denial will not be dramatic. It will happen in the quiet places of ordinary life. It will look like opening God’s Word when you would rather scroll. It will look like praying when anxiety tells you to rely on yourself. It will look like serving your family when no one notices, confessing sin rather than defending it, and remaining in a faithful local church when relationships require patience and humility.

It will also look like turning from sin quickly. The disciple of Jesus does not make peace with what Christ died to forgive. When we fail, we do not hide from God or attempt to repay Him through religious activity. We come again to Christ in repentance and faith. His blood cleanses His people from all sin, and His grace trains us to renounce ungodliness and live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (1 John 1:9; Titus 2:11–12).

This is why the local church matters so deeply. We were not called to carry the cross alone. Christ gives His people pastors and teachers to equip them, fellow believers to encourage them, and the gathered church as a place where His Word is preached, His ordinances are observed, and His people are strengthened. We need one another as we follow Christ.

Christ Is Worth Following

The call of discipleship is costly because Christ calls us away from the false promises of self-rule. But He is not a harsh master. He is the good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep. He does not ask us to travel a road He refused to walk. He went to the cross for us, rose from the dead, and now intercedes for us.

Christian, do not measure the value of following Christ by the ease of your circumstances. Measure it by the worth of the Savior. He is worthy of your obedience when it is costly, of your trust when the road is unclear, and of your witness when the world disapproves.

Today, take up your cross again. Deny the rule of self. Follow Christ through the ordinary acts of obedience set before you. The life laid down for His sake is never lost. In Him, it is found.

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