“And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me…whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.'” – Luke 9:23-24 (ESV)
Discipleship sounds romantic until you actually do it. Following Jesus looks inspiring in books and sermons until He leads you somewhere that costs you everything comfortable.
Nearly thirty years ago, Jesus invited me to follow Him into full-time missionary work. What I didn’t realise then was that discipleship isn’t a single decision, it’s a daily death. It’s waking up every morning and choosing to lose your life so you can truly find it.
In Guyana, I learned to die to financial security. There was no guaranteed income, no safety net, just a call and a cross to carry. In Albania, over twenty-one years, I learned to die to comfort, familiarity, and proximity to family. I missed weddings, funerals, and birthdays. I watched my homeland from a distance while pouring my life into foreign soil. Now in Finland, I’m learning to die to my expectations of how ministry should look, trusting God in one of the world’s most secular and expensive nations.
Each season has demanded fresh surrender. That’s the heart of discipleship: it’s not a one-time altar call, it’s a lifetime of daily crosses.
Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat it. “Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow me.” The cross isn’t decorative; it’s an instrument of death. Discipleship means dying to your plans so His plans can live. Dying to your comfort so His kingdom can advance. Dying to your timeline so His purposes can unfold.
But here’s the paradox that thirty years have proven true: in losing yourself, you find. In dying, you live. In surrendering, you receive more than you ever gave up.
I’ve lost much on this journey. Years away from family. Financial stability. A “normal” life. But I’ve gained what money cannot buy: a front-row seat to God’s faithfulness across three nations, transformed lives, and an intimacy with Jesus forged only through dependent trust.
Discipleship isn’t about doing more for God. It’s about dying more to self so God can do more through you.
The cross is heavy. But the Christ who calls you to carry it walks beside you, and He makes it worth it all.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I confess that I often want the crown without the cross. Teach me true discipleship, the kind that dies daily, surrenders fully, and follows You wherever You lead. Give me the courage to lose my life so I can truly find it in You. May my journey reflect a heart fully devoted to following You, no matter the cost, in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
Read: John 12:24; Galatians 2:20
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 83; Acts 28:1-16; 2 Kings 19:14-37; 2 Kings 20