As followers of Jesus, our allegiance is to the King, and His kingdom is our priority. Submitting to Christ as King is an act of worship.
“If anyone wants to follow after me,” said Jesus to His disciples, “let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
Deny yourself. Ooph. It’s one of those statements that cuts straight into me. Nothing in me likes the thought of denying myself. It creates the feeling of lack and I don’t like to feel the cavernous growl any more than the unfulfilled desires of my heart.
Reading today’s passages, I had to ask myself the honest question: as a follower of Jesus, what does it even mean to deny myself? Or pick up my cross? (After those first two, the questions kept on coming.) How do believers practice the kind of self-denial Jesus talked about without being doormats or shadows of who God created us to be? How do we avoid self-erasing and abuse, while, at the same time, also avoid idolizing self-care or, as my friend likes to put it, “building the kingdom of me”?
Our allegiance must be to our King. If you look at verse 25, Jesus also says, “For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself?” (or “soul” as some translations say). Denying ourselves isn’t about losing our God-given identity. What Jesus is saying is that instead of going after our own agendas, we should seek first the kingdom.
To do this, we must look to Jesus again. In the full passage from Luke 9, Jesus isn’t talking about self-imposed pain in an effort to be holier. We weren’t called to be hermits or doormats without boundaries. But we are told to expect trials in our day-to-day lives and to face them head-on for the sake of our greater calling.
As believers, our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Even though it’s right and good to thank God for the many amazing gifts He gives us, we want to be careful about developing a love for the world and our own comfort over our love for Christ (1John 2:15). Instead, our devotion and allegiance should be to our first love.
There will be days when we’re asked to give up a lot. A whole lot. There may be years that feel like we’re waiting for a harvest that isn’t coming. Life will require great endurance. That’s a promise. But there will also be beauty and the deep satisfaction of partnering with our King in His mission to redeem and restore our world. This is the tradeoff for denying ourselves and taking up our cross. We share in the sufferings of Christ, but we also get to share in the joy. Keep following Jesus, friends. It’s worth it.
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59 thoughts on "Allegiance to the King"
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Yes, Jesus’ heart words make us uncomfortable. Deny ourselves ? Pick up our cross? Sell everything and give it to the poor? The words of Jesus are difficult but truthful. Laying all our comforts at the feet of Jesus is a beautiful act of worship. Ultimately he wants us to know where our treasures are and where they should be.
Less of me and more of you, Jesus!
Praying for you Mare, for grace, strength, and healing.
Praying for you, Aimee.
I rarely post on here because the group is so large I feel like I can’t follow. Someone posts a response to a prayer and I have no idea what they are talking about. I really need prayer right now. It’s too much to go into but HOA issues and my contractor husband is not happy and wants to move. I want to do whatever I need to to make him happy but everything we started here including my she shed (still unfinished) which my side business is named for She Shed Shirts Signs & More, will have to be left behind. I tell him I am upset and don’t want to move but will get over it. Then he says fine we will stay but next time someone says something he will blow a head gasket. I lost my fiancé on 5/4/17 and he lost his wife 8/17. I lost 36 pounds and was down to 96. I won’t survive losing him…it’s a lot.
I’ve been wondering that too!! I’d love to learn more about this book, and looking forward to Amos next week
I once heard someone say that self care = soul care. ❤️
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Praying for you, Mare Jones ❤️
Praying for you Mare Jones!
DOROTHY – I’m so glad your first day went well!! Was thinking of you yesterday even though I didn’t get on here to wish you well!
RITA – praying for your daughter, you and family – for healing, strength, courage and peace
NANCY S – praying for your husband and yourself – such a difficult season for you and lifting you both to the One who sees and hears our cries.
DONNA – that verse (and Luke1:37) always stop me in my tracks when I really consider the power that is implied in those statements (especially coming from first hand witnesses of that ability!)!
ALL SHEs – praying our Lord and Saviour would be near to each and everyone of you, exactly where you need Him to be. xo
WOW!!! What a thought-provoking, Christ-inspiring, and mind-opening devotional!!! How much of this am I doing??!! Am I focusing on God, Christ and the Holy Spirit like I should in my life??!! What CAN I DO DIFFERENTLY to focus more on the TRIUNE???!!! I know God forgives me NO MATTER what but I need to try to change my ways.
As I was reading I also thought of the song, “First Things First” by Consumed by Fire. If you have a chance listen to it. It’s a beautiful and meaningful song.
My first day at work went great. I think I’m going to love this job.
Sisters, be blessed and don’t stress. Did you know stressed spelled backwards is desserts, so God doesn’t want us to be stressed or He wouldn’t have made to words in common so opposite.
Love the reading today!
ANN- I love the “so that..” as it relates to self-care. A good way to really stay focus about the intention behind it.
Father nothing is impossible for You. Thank You for being the God of the impossible. Thank You for my Savior, Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen
Is there a book about the prophet Isaiah?
Don’t forget what Jesus said – “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” – Luke 18:27
Yes! Jesus is our KING!
This is so great! I never thought about it this way before!
Lord I thank you for all you have done you are good!
Contentment disarms the savage beast of entitlement. Thank you for these wise words ❤️ helps put things into perspective. All I have is not mine but His, trying to live more open handed in a world that tells us to take what is ours and hold it tight.
I am here, I am willing to pick up my cross daily and follow Christ!
Following Jesus is looking around where He has placed us and loving those we find with us. As a working woman I feel called to serve those with whom I work. Moms with littles are called to the mission of leading their babes to Christ by serving them in their homes. We are all missionaries wherever Jesus has placed us in our season of life. Praying for you all! ♥️
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Anne thank you for your wise words! I love how the simple addition of “so that” can pivot us back into Kingdom Thinking!
I am still enjoying my Wed night Bible study on Ephesians. Tonight was Ephesians 6:17 – …taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrow of the evil one. Praying for Maya Billiott – as you reach out and grab your opportunity that God will equip you to do what you are called for. Praying for Madison, Struggling, Diane mom, Rita Ann’s husband and Sheri Davis’s brother in law – that the shield of God will protect all from the fiery arrows of the enemy.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” (Dt 6:4-5)
This seems like a relatively simple task. If asked if I followed these instructions, I would shout, “YES!” without hesitation. But as I stop to think about this, I realize what might be more truthful is that I want to follow these instructions.
Heavenly Father, help guide me to live this call through my actions, and not just through my good intentions. When my day is challenging, guide me to slow down and acknowledge your love. When my day is worth celebrating, guide me to slow down and give you thanks. And when my day feels mundane and monotonous, open my eyes to your work around me. Amen.
I pray the Lord would show me how to deny myself and take up his cross. I’m glad that Jesus gives me the strength to do this.
Oops… I meant Anne… so that! (I was writing Diane’s name in my study book and mixed it up into my reply!)
Yes, Diane… SO THAT!
All I can think of right now is all the friends I’ve lost because they are worshipping a man and ideology and not the TRUE king who will save the world.
Such a great reminder of who we are, what our “passport” says, Heavenly citizen. Whichever nation you belong to, the laws of that nation apply for you, though temporarily residing somewhere else. The currency of Heavens is different from the currency of the earth. The rich young ruler, loaded in earthly wealth, but one thing he lacked, and Jesus gave him a discreet answer, looking at him and loving him (not to embarrass him), to reveal his heavenly poverty, Jesus told him to do a wealth transfer, sell all you have to give to the poor, since Scripture says, whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward them for what they have done (Proverbs 19:17). But the rich man was too sorrowful to part with his earthly currency, to do this God ordained transfer to his future heavenly account.
I love the quote that Angie posted from Martin Lutherking a while back (thank you Angie!!), I see much connection with our study today, “I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.” Truly when we give for the Lord’s sake (money, time, free labour/volunteering), we simply just deposit them into our future account, in which we will spend eternity. Would you travel somewhere knowing that you won’t have much cash to spare? One day, as the trumpet sounds, in a twinkling of an eye, we will “travel” to our true nation as God has ordained this (1 Corinthians 15:52), we will put on a new body. Let us not go there to find out we only have pennies to spare. Oh boy, would we be sorry? While we still can, now and here, let us store up. If Jesus warned this rich young man, it must prove to be necessary and important. Glory to Jesus for his teachings.
Praying for the posted requests of our dear sisters. When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles (Psalm 34:17). God bless you all.
Hi everyone! I’m starting a new job soon that I know I was placed at by God. Part of me is super excited about this new opportunity, but it is WAY out of my comfort zone. I feel like the devil is starting to feed me lies that say I’m not enough or I’m not equipped. I’m starting to doubt that I should even be accepting this position, but I know God placed me here for a reason. If you don’t mind, please pray that the devil fleas and that I receive strength from God for this job.
Praise God
Rita Ann praying for your husband.
Madison I am right there with you. My husband and I have been trying for a long time now and every month that goes by my heart feels a bit more crushed. I will pray for us both- something that has helped me in recent weeks is to look at God, not my circumstances and that has brought me more peace than just “trying not to stress”.
Please pray for my brother in law who is dealing with depression. Thank you.
Praying for you Diane. I walk to work and I will be praying for YOU and Rita Ann
“We are told to expect trials in our day-to-day lives and to face them head-on for the sake of our greater calling.” (Quote from the devotional today). I pray for the courage to do this.
Thank you Kelly and everyone for the love & support you’ve given me here. ❤
@Rita Ann. Praying for your husband.
Good Morning, Madison, praying for you dear Sister. May you feel Jesus open arms waiting for you to give Him these heavy things and be able to release them, the Word says Cast your cares on Him, so if you have to throw them away from you. If you need to imagine, or go to a field and take some stones and have them represent what is weighing you down and as you pray throw them out. He loves you Madison, He is able. You can lay it down, He is faithful and you can trust Him with it all. I have struggled with anxiety and know that sometimes it comes from a physical reason, so would encourage you to check with your doctor, a lot of mine was from thyroid medicine, so wanted to let you know. May you feel His release and His joy. Diane, praying for your son, healing and God’s peace for you and that your allergies would be not a problem, or easily handled. Hugs. Kelly, so appreciate your daily messages to Struggling, you are a warrior of care in Him. ❤️ I so want to steer clear of “the Kingdom of me” so true all the messages we get that the world gives to look after number 1, which unfortunately is such a putting yourself above everyone else message, but I do realize that I need also to lean into being His child and receive the way He cares for me, so, as we would look out for others, we can care for ourselves and the best way is spending time with the Lord, in prayer, in His word, in His rest and time with others in fellowship like this daily fellowship we have here.
ERB, Such good encouragement you have this morning in your words. Citizens of Heaven, Amen. If I can keep my mind on the joy in that it is so good. I also notice the repetition of His anger had not turned away and His hand is still upraised. And in it I thought of Moses holding His hand up as God parted the red sea. And I thought in His anger we see His love for the good of His children, in the Woe to those who make unjust laws and who issue oppressive decrees, and in verse 3, What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? 4Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain.” In all of these because of Jesus, I hear His love saying, choose the path I have for you seek Justice and Righteousness and this corruption will not prevail. Hugs ERB thanks for the blessing. We are to be above it, save the grace of Jesus who was slain for us, we can not be. But, He raises us up for the glory of our God. Sing Hallelujah to the Lamb Sisters, He is so worthy of our praise!!’
So many great passages today! ❤️
Diane, Praying for your son and family.
Please pray for me as I haven’t been able to escape or find relief from stress, which is turning into worries about how it’s affecting my physical health and ability to get pregnant. Trying to seek first his Kingdom.
Diane, I just prayed for you and your family.
What a great perspective! I will be allowing myself the small breaks I need today, so that I can continue the work God has set in front of me. Such a practical way to follow the habits of Jesus!
@diane mom praying for you this morning and your son.
Anne I love your “so that”. I do believe we need to practice self care so we can be filled in order to pour out and that certainly involves first and foremost our walk with Christ. I believe we also need to care for our emotional and physical needs and I know when I was a young mom that self care in these areas was not a priority for me and it took its toll. We often sacrifice our own needs for those of our families and I think we need to carve out time to get re-filled in all areas of our lives.
I do need to daily remind myself that God’s kingdom is my priority and that submission is an act of worship. Give me eyes to see your kingdom today Jesus.
Amen, Anne!
“…avoid idolizing self-care” – Nail on the head!
So many GREAT passages today!!! I particularly loved Philippians 3:20-21 …reminds me that we are in this world, but not of it!! We are citizens of Heaven!! Yes!!!
Another thing that stood out to me was Luke 9:27 “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
…this made me think of Enoch and Elijah, both were taken up by God and never experienced an earthly death.
Hebrews 11:5 “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
2 Kings 2:11 “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
Luke’s words about death and the kingdom of God made me wonder… these words may have more than one meaning… something I will be reflecting on!
Maura, this morning, I re-read Isaiah 8 and 9 (always like to refresh my mind on what we’ve been reading) and something I noticed was that the word UPRAISED kept being repeated over and over again… so I looked up the definition, it means: raised to a higher level; held up. …needless to say WHOA & WOW!!!! God wants us living our lives raised up to Him, living on a higher, He will hold us up!!! Mind. BLOWN!!! And total confirmation about what God has been laying on my heart!!! Anyways, just wanted to share that little tid bit…
Isaiah 10… a few verses stood out to me.. Isaiah 10:1-2 Isaiah 16-17 and most prominently Isaiah 10:20 “In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.”
SO much to digest… and to be grateful for!!
Hope you wonderful sisters have a blessed day!!!
@Diane – Praying for your family. I hope your son is on the mend quickly – and his dog is ok, too.
Praying for you Diane and your son. May God fill you with peace and bless you as you serve your son. Praying for healing and strength in your son. May you sense His presence. In the precious name of Jesus our Jehovah Jireh.
Living in contentment disarms the savage beast of entitlement. Denying myself is less a challenge when I acknowledge that all I have belongs to God and what I don’t have is also the Lord’s – to give or withhold as He sees fit.
Anne you totally hit the nail on the head about self care. It’s been hijacked by the consumer driven culture we live in. Self care is intended to be a restorative daily practice that helps us feel grounded and connected to the present, not numb and forgetting of it. It would make sense then that it would be things like prayer and meditation on the Word, not a $300 spa day.
I like what it says about denying our own agenda and seeking God’s. Man that’s hard. It is denying the self though in a major way.
Please pray for is this morning. We were supposed to be on vacation, but our son is in the hospital and isn’t doing well. We need to care for his dog today too, and I am allergic. We’ve know our King is good and we have seen that over and over again. Pray we can bring His love and mercy and compassion into the hard situation we are facing today.
I loved this thought: “How do we avoid self-erasing and abuse, while, at the same time, also avoid idolizing self-care or, as my friend likes to put it, ‘building the kingdom of me’?”
I’ve been considering the idea of self care recently, which is so prevalent in our culture today, perhaps especially for young moms. “You deserve it,” is the mantra. I do believe self care is necessary, but I believe the world’s perspective is lacking and incomplete.
I believe self care in the kingdom of God must always be followed by a “so that.” We rest, so that we can serve more fully and more joyfully and with greater longevity. Jesus withdrew…so that He could come down to minister to the needy.
Without a “so that,” self care can become simply hoarding our time and the best of ourselves, just as we can hoard our possessions or our talents.
May our lives look radically different from our culture, which grasps frantically to hold on to the best for me, me, me. May we wholeheartedly follow the selfless example of our King, laying down our lives to love and serve Him and His people.
Through seasons of doubt and unknowing, the promise of the keys to the kingdom gets us through. But during the upswings, it is even more important to be both thankful for our earthly blessings while keeping our eyes on the ultimate prize – eternal fellowship with a benevolent father. Lord, help me to face my challenges without fear or doubt. Help me to focus on your promises and your faithfulness on the good days and the bad. Make me more like you and refine me. Amen
STRUGGLING – He is our Waymaker Ps. 77:14
The following can be difficult, especially when it involves “denying myself.” Thank goodness there is much joy found in knowing the Lord and knowing that what He offers (that none of the things I might want to blindly pursue without His blessing) is an eternal joy.
Have a blessed Wednesday dear sisters. ❤️