March 11

March 11, 2026

Read: Mark 8:34-38
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Devotion:
As we take this day to reflect on this passage in scripture, I want to talk about an interesting story about a man named Jim. Jim, along with four other friends, was a missionary from America who decided to take a trip to Ecuador to share their faith with a native tribe there called the Aucas/Waodani tribe. This was a specifically scary endeavor because they had heard the many stories of this tribe killing any outsiders they found in the area. However, Jim knew that this was important, and he wouldn’t waste his life trying to gain anything that wasn’t for the sake of Christ, and so he and his friends got on a missionary plane to go see the tribe and reach out to them. Unfortunately, they were not friendly, and all five of them were killed by the spears of the natives.

Before we jump into any application of this passage, we need to understand what has happened before it. Jesus is talking to the disciples, as well as to the crowd He gathered, right after telling the disciples of his death and resurrection to come. This is important because, as He is commanding the crowd to take up their cross, He is referencing how He will have to soon take up His cross and deny Himself, giving up His own life, for the sake of any good news. After all, it is only through Christ that there is a Good News at all (which is what the word gospel, or from the Greek εὐαγγέλιον, means).

This passage should be convicting because it shows what a true life of following Christ should look like: denying yourself and following what God wants for you. Sometimes this can seem easy, but for the most part, it is hard. This is why Jesus compares it to “taking up your cross,” because true faith should look like denying everything, even our very lives. Picking up your cross is something we talk about a lot as Christians, but what does that actually entail? It is a daily choice of surrender to Christ; it is not a one-and-done decision. Jim trusted that this was what the Lord was calling him to, and even though he died for the sake of it, it wasn’t in vain. Jim’s wife ended up going back 2 years later to the Waudani village to find that many of the natives had become Christians and were now friendly. Jim wasn’t living his life for himself, and it showed through his faithful sacrifice.

We must make the conscious decision to die to ourselves and submit to following Christ’s will for us. Our love for Christ should outweigh any consequence that follows the weight of this decision. Picking up your cross is not an easy decision by any means. Being a human already means that we want the opposite of what is good for us: we desire sinful things and we shy away from difficult or painful situations. However, when we choose to suffer for Christ, trust in Him, and bear our cross for His sake, we display our obedience in following Him. Christ died so that we could have the opportunity to live fully through Him, and in order to do this, we must first die to ourselves and surrender to God. To surrender our will to God and trust in His plans for us is a consistent action that we must be willing to take in our daily walk of faith. Even when the waves come and the wind blows, we must remember who our anchor is: Jesus Christ.

Though you may not be going to an island to help natives know who Christ is, possibly risking your life, you may be in a position in your job that might seem hostile if you bring up Christ’s name or your faith. You might be struggling to handle the pressure of denying your desires for yourself, rather than what God has been calling you to. You might be struggling to die to yourself (your desires and comforts), as Christ did on the cross, so that your life will reflect God to your friends and family, because you are worried about what they will say. However, I encourage you, just like this passage is in light of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, we should view our lives in light of our own death to ourselves, and our new life in Christ daily. Even in the hardest, darkest seasons of sickness, financial troubles, broken relationships, unknown future, loss of loved ones, or whatever that may look like for you, are you willing to pick up your cross and follow Him anyway?
Throughout your day, reflect on a few things that you have been holding with a tight grip in your life. If God reveals to you something that is keeping you from growing closer to Him, spend some time in prayer over those things, and ask God for help in surrendering that to Him fully.

Reflect:
● What does denying yourself really look like today in your job, your family, or your time alone?
● What are the things holding you back from being fully surrendered to God in your current situation?

Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank You for this time to sit and reflect on Your scripture, and we thank You that it pierces our hearts in whatever situation we find ourselves in. I pray that You would search my heart and reveal anything in it that is holding me back from being completely submitted and committed to following You and Your calling over my life. I praise You for Your faithful hand that guides me, and Your love that has saving power over our lives. I pray for Your guidance over this season, that Your will would be done, and that I would learn to trust You more. All this I pray in Your Son’s mighty name, Amen.