JP76: The Invitation Worth Everything

In the late 1880s, a brilliant young Englishman named Charles Thomas Studd shocked British society. A gifted athlete and cricket star at Cambridge, C.T. was the kind of man destined for wealth and fame. But after encountering the call of Jesus, he walked away from it all. He gave up his fortune, renounced a life of comfort, and sailed to China as a missionary with Hudson Taylor. Later, he would take the gospel to India and Africa, risking illness, loneliness, and death to pattern His life after Jesus. He once wrote in a poem,

“Only one life ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”*

That’s the kind of surrender Jesus speaks of in Mark 8:34-38. It’s the kind that transforms lives—not because of reckless emotion, but because of deep conviction that Jesus is worth everything.

“Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it. 36 For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life? 37 What can anyone give in exchange for his life? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” _{Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020)}

Jesus never sugar-coated the cost of following Him. He didn’t pitch discipleship as a weekend hobby or a self-help upgrade. He stood before crowds—people like us, full of dreams, fears, burdens, and hopes—and said something startling: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)

This is no soft invitation. It confronts everything we’ve been conditioned to chase: comfort, control, success, safety. Yet, within these hard words is the path to true life—life with Jesus, life like Jesus.

Let’s take a closer look at His call.

Deny Yourself: A Life Re-centered

Denying yourself is not self-hatred or denying your personality. It means putting to death the illusion that life is about you. It means no longer making your comfort, preferences, or reputation the center of your story.

Jesus is not asking us to add Him to our plans; He is calling us to surrender our plans for His.

It’s one thing to believe in Jesus; it’s another to follow Him where He leads, even when that road is narrow, steep, and costly. We tend to say, “Jesus, I’ll follow You… as long as You don’t mess with this part of my life.” But Jesus doesn’t negotiate terms of surrender.

To deny yourself is to say, “Not my will, but Yours be done,” not just once in a moment of passion, but daily, in how you speak, spend, relate, react, and decide.

This is not loss—it’s liberation. We were never meant to carry the weight of self-rule. Surrender sets you free to live in step with the One who knows you best and loves you most.

Take Up Your Cross: A Life Laid Down

In Jesus’ day, crosses weren’t religious jewelry. They were brutal instruments of death. So when Jesus says, “Take up your cross,” He’s not talking about enduring mild inconvenience. He’s calling us to radical surrender—to be willing to lose everything for His sake.

The cross you take up isn’t about some vague suffering. It’s about choosing the path of obedience, no matter the cost. It means letting go of your rights, your ego, your self-made identity. It’s dying to the version of life you thought you had to protect to receive the life Jesus freely gives.

It’s in this crucified life that we find joy, not surface-level happiness, but deep, soul-satisfying joy that the world can’t touch.

And the good news? Jesus never asks us to go anywhere He hasn’t gone first. He carried His cross. He laid down His life. And He rose again so we could do the same—not just someday in the resurrection, but every day as we walk with Him.

Follow Me: A Life Reimagined

Jesus doesn’t just call us to deny and die. He calls us to follow. To walk with Him. To pattern our lives after His. To be shaped not by culture or comfort but by the crucified and risen King.

Following Jesus means learning His ways—how He loved people, how He sought the Father, how He lived humbly, how He spoke truth, how He prioritized the Kingdom.

It’s a lifestyle, not an event.

This isn’t about perfection but pursuit. Not checking boxes, but aligning your whole life around His. When you pattern your life after Jesus, you don’t just admire Him from afar—you live as He lived, trusting that His way is the only one that leads to real life.

The Paradox That Saves

Jesus ends this section with a staggering paradox:

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)

This is the heart of the Gospel. You can cling to control and miss life. Or you can lose your life for Jesus’ sake and find it forever.

Your soul is worth more than any earthly gain. A career can be lost. Comfort will fade. Applause is temporary. But your soul is eternal.

Jesus is not trying to ruin your life—He’s trying to save it.

Challenge: A Cross-Carrying Life Today

So what does it mean for you today to take up your cross?

* Does it mean forgiving someone who hurt you deeply?

* Does it mean stepping out in faith into something uncertain but Spirit-led?

* Does it mean letting go of a dream that’s taken God’s place in your heart?

* Does it mean boldly living your faith even if it costs you popularity, income, or opportunity?

Whatever it is, don’t delay.

Jesus’ call is radical, but it’s also relational. He’s not sending you into death alone—He’s walking with you into resurrection life. Every cross you carry with Him is planting a seed of eternal fruit.

Prayer:

Jesus, I want to follow You, not just in belief but in life. Help me deny myself, take up my cross, and walk Your way. I trust that what I lose for Your sake is nothing compared to what I gain in You. Shape me to reflect You more each day. Amen.

What’s one area of your life today that needs to shift from self-led to Spirit-led?

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* Chow, Ethan. "The Untold Story of C.T. Studd – The Cricketer Turned Missionary." RE Generation, 30 May 2022, https://regenerationz.org/the-untold-story-of-c-t-studd-the-cricketer-turned-missionary/.

Photo by Alicia Quan on Unsplash‍