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Early one morning a thought came to mind to do something for a lady I had not seen in a long time. It was a cold morning and I did not want to leave my warm home. I dismissed the thought. About an hour later, there was that thought again. Perhaps there would be time to do it
tomorrow.

About noon, the thought came to mind again. Only now, it was different. There was something on the inside of me that just knew that I was being asked to serve. I was being asked to share God’s love and compassion. I prayed and asked forgiveness for being disobedient. Within minutes I was out the door to do what I had been prompted to do several hours ago.

Later that week I had what seemed like a random thought about one of my recent volunteer activities. The organization let me choose the one day each week I would teach a class. If no participants showed up, I could choose to leave. Or, if I felt like it, I could choose to help the
staff with other tasks. After all, I was a volunteer and could choose when to serve and how I served.

It immediately became clear why the Holy Spirit brought thoughts of my being a volunteer to mind. Earlier that week when I was being prompted to serve, I put myself first. I was choosing to serve and the conditions to serve.

Mark 8:34 says: 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.”

The deny in Mark 8:34 is not what I do for a few days or a season. The denying of self in that scripture is about surrendering myself daily to the Lord. This is not easily achieved. How then can I do this?

It begins by loving the Lord with all that is within me. As Matthew 22:37 declares: Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

There are ways for me to know if I love the Lord with all my heart, my soul, and my mind. For example, I would want to know the Lord better so I would meditate on scriptures. I would pray each day. I would set aside times to fast. I would spend time sitting quietly before the Lord. I would share the gospel. I would want to carry out the Lord’s purposes so I would always obey His instructions.

In this moment, you may want to reflect on how you serve the Lord. Are you choosing when and how you will serve? Or are you denying yourself, taking up your cross, and following the Lord Jesus Christ?