Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
And He said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
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Jesus is pretty clear to all who would listen here…if you want to be a follower you must be willing to die to self in order to take up the responsibility of carrying the name of Jesus. He goes on to say that if we are ashamed of doing so, He will be ashamed of us when He returns. I want to be a disciple of Christ that is bold in sharing the Gospel. Not out of obligation, but because of the love I have for Him and others. We are called to more than this life. So what will you choose? What are you willing to sacrifice for? I promise you a relationship with Jesus is worth every sacrifice.
A Journey With Jesus 