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Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Matthew 16:24, LSB

We talk about being disciples a lot. It has become somewhat of a buzzword within the Church to the point that some may wonder what it truly means.  Out of its core, we get the word discipline, which often has a negative connotation when we hear it. In school, we would frequently learn disciplines of languages, math, and sciences. At least, this is what was once stated. To be a student, we are taught certain methods and ways to guide us and correct errors we might have in our understanding. The same is true with Christ. He disciplines us in how we are to understand God, the world, and life. If we follow the way of the world, we find the negative paths which we will be led. Our Lord desires for us not to do this and teaches us how to avoid this. So, as we deny the things that we have learned to be the way, we deny ourselves and our desires because we have been shown a better way. The process of our discipleship is lifelong and is a constant denial of things that rob us of life. Our lives are meant to be a living sacrifice to our Lord in which we begin to visually show others to whom we belong and what we believe through our lives. It is a bearing of burdens and a freeing of the soul. We bear the burden of the Gospel in a world that needs to know Christ’s peace.

Let us pray. I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you to protect me this day also from sin and every evil, that in all I do today, I may please you. For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel watch over me, that the wicked foe have no power over me. Amen.