Christ left a blood-stained path for us to follow. His feet walked to the broken before they were nailed to the Cross. He was constantly inconvenienced. He would go to be quiet and alone to pray, but instead of keeping His hands folded to Himself when the crowds came, His hands would reach out and touch the leper, the lame, and healed all who came to Him.

We Americans love comfort and convenience, yet we desire to grow deeper spiritually and we marvel at people who are obviously filled with the Spirit. But Christ preached nothing on living comfortable lives, but rather on The Comforter being close throughout promised hardships and trials. He preached to the rich man – sell all your possessions; treasure Me more. He preached to the son – leave your father for My sake. He preached to the disciples – If you forsake all, family, jobs, security and normality for My sake, you will be blessed a hundredfold in this life and the eternal life to come.

You see, Jesus said, “Deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me.” He never lived for health and wealth, but He was a Man of sorrows and had no place to lay His head. Throughout Scripture, God constantly calls people to the uncomfortable, but we choose to focus on the butterflies-in-your-tummy kind of verses. You know, the pieces of Scripture that make you smile and exhale. But if we’re honest, more of Jesus’ words should make us gasp. Yes, His words are laced with grace and unconditional love for those He came in contact with, but He also calls His true followers to difficulty.

Go where? – The outermost parts of the world? Would you go if He so called, or do you limit God’s calling and blessings in your life and the lives of others?

To who? The widows, orphans, harlots, drug-dealers, elite, religious, family? Are you willing to talk to anyone about the Gospel – the Good News of the One who saved your soul?

How? – With just the cloak on your back, trusting He will provide people along the way to meet your needs as He did when He sent the His followers out 2 by 2? Or does the picket fence, 2.5 children and the dog have too much hold on your life? Are these things bad? No, they are blessings. But is your heart truly following after His? Can He call you to anything and anywhere, or are there “safe” spots in your life that you refuse to let Him into?

Jesus didn’t promise a comfortable or even a safe life. But He did promise joy to the fullest. He calls us to carry our cross – to die to ourselves, our wants, our desires, our dreams, our plans, our safe places – all in exchange for His joy and deep satisfaction.

The good thing about following Christ to the Cross is that He rose from the grave. We follow Him into death but ultimately into life eternal.

Isn’t He worth more to you than security – for yourselves or even your children? Isn’t He worth more than your job? Isn’t He worth more than a nice house? Isn’t He worth more being physically uncomfortable? Isn’t He worth living with fewer material blessings in order to obtain unending joy? Isn’t He worth speaking up to your coworker who might shoot you down and call you dumb? Isn’t He worth your mornings? Aren’t His people your time? Isn’t His salvation worth your entire life?

It’s evident that people who truly abandon themselves and live surrendered to the LORD reach a spiritual level of deepness we admire. I’m not talking about 3^rd-world-missionaries. I mean people who are really willing to do anything He calls them to – the big and the small; the going and the staying; the speaking and the listening; the radical and the mundane.

Living in a Mark 8:34 state is exactly what most of us are missing in our lives that would take us to that level of depth we desire to with our Redeemer. Selflessness the key to growing spiritually. Selflessness is also anti-us. We love to be selfish and get our way and be happy and comfortable. Selflessness calls us to be forgiving when we’re hurt, when the person maybe doesn’t deserve it or maybe doesn't even apologize. Selflessness is being inconvenienced for the sake of His people. It’s giving your time, sleep, effort, energy, money, all for others. Dying to yourself is biting your tongue. It’s serving even when you’re tired. This anonymous poem better sums up how “dying to self” can be applied in our lives practically.

“When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting or hurt with the oversight, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ;

That is dying to self.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinion ridiculed and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence;

That is dying to self.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any annoyance; when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus did;

That is dying to self.

When you are content with any food, and offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God;

That is dying to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or record your own good works or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown;

That is dying to self.;

When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances;

That is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit, inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart;

That is dying to self ”

When you are walking this uncomfortable, blood-stained path of your Savior, remember it leads to pearly gates. He walks it with you. Be recklessly abandoned to Him because there is no safer place to be than in the hands and will of God.

Jesus called the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. – Mark 8:34 AMP