Live Dead | Abandon | Eleah Tercero

Luke 9:22-25 “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”

Jesus will never lie to us. It is costly to be a disciple. It is not enough to simply hear about the cross, we actually have to pick it up and take the first step towards following after Him. He is calling us to ABANDON our lives and deaths to Him, and trust Him in this journey. 

Sounds a bit wild doesn’t it? But as we count the cost and consider what this means for our life, our families, our careers, our dreams, what we will encounter time and again is that the price of following Jesus is not too high. When we consider all that we gain as children of God, we quickly realize that there is no price too high that can compare with the worth of what we have received in Christ. 

We have one life to lose, one opportunity to give everything to Jesus. And beyond just laying down our life, are we willing to pick up our cross and take the first step of obedience? As Jackie Hill Perry said, “There may be many things God wants you to give up, but the primary one is your life.” 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In your own words, what does it mean to live dead?
2. What are some ways that you feel the Holy Spirit calling you to deny yourself and take up your cross?
3. What is one step that you can take today to obey what God is telling you to do?
4.  Pray for one another that the Holy Spirit will give you the strength to pick up your cross and follow Him.