“He said to all, ‘If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.’ For whoever decides to save his life will lose it, but whoever will lose his life for my sake, the same will save it’” -Luke 9:23-24
Jesus starts this verse withwith the radical call to discipleship. If you want to be my follower, you must give up your own way. This challenges us to deny ourselves, to relinquish control over our lives and submit to Jesus.
To deny ourselves means to renounce, self-centered desires, ambitions, and priorities. This denial is not about just giving up things, but surrendering ourselves to Jesus. We have to come to grips that when Jesus calls us, he bids us to come and die. That’s a tough thing to come to grips with.
Jesus laid out a clear challenge to follow Him wholeheartedly, we must be willing to let go of our own desires, take up our cross, and walk in His footsteps. It’s a call to radical commitment, acknowledging that true life is found in surrendering to Jesus rather than clinging to our own ways. 
Paul said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself to me.” This powerful declaration reveals the transformative impact of the gospel.
The Cross symbolizes, sacrifice and suffering, but also redemption and victory. Embracing the cross means embracing challenges, trials of faith, and obedience.
Embracing the Cross means continually enduring hardships and persecution for the sake of Jesus. It involves perseverance, and following Jesus, even when it’s difficult or unpopular.
In Luke 9:24, Jesus leaves His disciples with a profound paradox: “If anyone desires to save his life, he will lose it, but whoever loses his life will save it. (paraphrased). This truth challenges our instinct of self-preservation and invites us into a deeper, eternal reality.
Losing our life for Jesus means surrendering our desires, ambitions, and comfort to His will and trusting that His ways are higher and better than our own, even when it means sacrificing worldly success or comfort. This is what surrendering to Jesus means to take up our cross, and to embrace it.
