To Be Least

      Every Christian has picked up their cross and followed Christ. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." You may be asking yourself, what does it mean to pick up your cross, deny yourself and follow Christ? He tells us that we are to pick up our cross. During the time of Jesus, a cross was how people were put to death. So when it says pick up your cross, it means we are to die to ourselves. I am going to do a series of posts on what it means to do what deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow Christ.

      We are to serve others and not our self. Jesus taught this very clearly by both his life and teachings. When his disciples came up to him and asked who would be the greatest in heaven Jesus replied, "For he who is least among you all--he is the greatest." (Luke 9) Often times all we think is about our needs and wants. We only care for ourselves and no one else. This could be commonly described as selfishness.
      Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus began to wash his disciples feet. When he finished, he said this, "¹⁴Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. ¹⁵I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. (John 13) We are to follow Christ's example. The apostle John wrote, "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." (1 John 2:6) If we are Christians, we are to serve others, rather than ourselves.