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The Daily Devotional
Friday, July 24, 2026
The Life That Follows Jesus
“If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” — Luke 9:23
Reflection
Jesus does not describe discipleship as admiration from a distance. He does not say, “Learn about me,” “Agree with me,” or even simply, “Believe certain things about me.” His invitation is more personal, more demanding, and ultimately more transforming: “Follow me.”
In Luke 9, Jesus speaks these words after asking his disciples who they believe he is. Peter has confessed that Jesus is the Christ of God. Yet knowing the right answer is not the end of discipleship. Once the disciples recognize who Jesus is, they must learn what it means to walk behind him.
That is where the Christian life becomes deeply personal.
It is possible to know many facts about Jesus without becoming much like him. We may know his parables, recite his teachings, defend Christian doctrine, attend worship, and speak confidently about faith, yet still resist his way when it asks us to forgive someone who has wounded us, welcome someone who makes us uncomfortable, give without recognition, surrender our pride, speak gently when anger feels more satisfying, or trust God when we cannot see the road ahead.
Jesus says, “Let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
To deny oneself does not mean believing that we are worthless. We are beloved children of God, made in God's image and redeemed by grace. Self-denial means refusing to make the self the center around which everything else must revolve. It means saying, “My desires will not always be my master. My comfort will not always determine my choices. My pride will not have the final word. Jesus will lead.”
To take up the cross daily does not mean seeking pain or believing every hardship is a cross assigned by God. Rather, it means embracing the daily cost of faithfulness. Sometimes the cross is forgiveness when resentment feels easier. Sometimes it is telling the truth when dishonesty would be more convenient. Sometimes it is serving quietly when no one notices. Sometimes it is remaining compassionate when the world encourages hardness.
And then Jesus says, “Follow me.”
July 24 brings to mind Thomas à Kempis, priest and mystic, who died in 1471 and is traditionally associated with The Imitation of Christ. For generations, Christians have returned to that devotional work because it asks an enduring question: What happens when following Christ becomes more than something we profess and begins to shape the actual pattern of our lives?
I remember studying The Imitation of Christ a few years ago, and the title itself carries a powerful challenge. The Christian life is not merely about possessing information concerning Jesus. It is about being formed by him.
Consider an apprentice learning from a master craftsman. The apprentice may begin by reading books, studying diagrams, and learning the names of every tool in the workshop. That knowledge matters. But no one becomes a master carpenter merely by memorizing facts about wood.
The apprentice watches.
He notices how the master holds the tool, how patiently he measures, how carefully he studies the grain, how he corrects mistakes, and how he refuses to hurry work that requires time. Then the apprentice begins to practice. At first, the movements are awkward. Mistakes are made. Corrections are needed. But after years of watching, listening, practicing, and remaining close to the master, something remarkable happens.
The apprentice's hands begin to move like the master's hands.
This is one way to understand discipleship.
We become like the One we continually watch, listen to, trust, and follow.
We watch Jesus forgive those who wounded him. We watch him touch the untouchable, welcome the rejected, feed the hungry, notice the overlooked, confront hypocrisy, weep with the grieving, pray in solitude, and kneel to wash his disciples' feet.
Then he turns to us and says, “Follow me.”
We will never reproduce the sinless perfection of Christ through our own effort. Becoming like Jesus is the work of grace. It is the patient work of the Holy Spirit within us as we surrender, repent, obey, fail, rise again, and keep walking. Yet grace does not leave us unchanged. The closer we walk with Christ, the more his life should gradually become visible in ours.
So perhaps today we should ask ourselves honestly:
Am I merely learning facts about Jesus, or am I allowing his life to reshape mine?
Do those closest to me encounter more patience, mercy, humility, truth, and compassion because I follow Christ?
What part of my life am I still asking Jesus to bless while refusing to let him lead?
Choose one visible way to imitate Christ today. Forgive someone. Listen without interrupting. Serve without being noticed. Speak gently. Welcome someone others overlook. Release a resentment you have carried too long. Pray for someone you find difficult to love. Surrender one stubborn part of your life to God.
Do not underestimate the spiritual significance of one faithful step.
Becoming like Christ rarely happens in one heroic moment. It happens through countless quiet acts of surrender, mercy, repentance, courage, obedience, and love. We follow him one step at a time. And as we keep our eyes upon Jesus, the Holy Spirit patiently forms his character within us.
The goal of the Christian life is not simply to know more about Jesus, but to walk so closely with him that his way increasingly becomes our way, his compassion shapes our compassion, his humility corrects our pride, his forgiveness transforms our relationships, and his love becomes visible through our lives.
So today, let the question come close to the heart:
If I say that I follow Jesus, in what ways is my life actually becoming more like his?
Prayer
Gracious God, thank you for calling us not merely to know about Jesus, but to follow him and be transformed by his life. Give us the grace to deny ourselves without losing sight of our worth in you, the courage to take up our cross daily, and the faith to walk where Christ leads even when the way is difficult. By your Holy Spirit, form within us the humility, compassion, patience, forgiveness, courage, faithfulness, and love of Jesus. Teach us to serve without seeking recognition, to forgive when it is costly, to welcome those who are overlooked, and to surrender every part of our lives to your loving direction. May those who encounter us see not merely what we believe, but something of the character of the One we follow. Keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and make us more like him, one faithful step at a time. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the World English Bible (WEB), which is a Public Domain Modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The World English Bible is based on the American Standard Version (ASV) of the Holy Bible, first published in 1901, the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Old Testament, and the Greek Majority Text New Testament. It is in draft form and is currently being edited for accuracy and readability. All rights reserved.
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