Following Jesus is about understanding that there is more to a life with Christ than just saying a prayer. Jesus can change everything about you. He affects every decision in your life. He is the boss because He made you, He knows everything about you, and He loves you. You see, life with God has just begun. Life does not end when you meet God, it begins. Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." These words applied to the disciples and to all who would come after Jesus.

Jesus invites every person to follow, but those who desire to follow him must have three attitudes: a willingness to deny themselves, a willingness to take up the cross, and a willingness to follow. First of all Jesus said, " Following Jesus means to deny oneself . To deny oneself means not only to surrender immediate material gratification, but also it is a willingness to let go of selfish desires and earthly security. This attitude turns self-centeredness to God-centeredness. The first thing that we are supposed to learn when we become Christians is that we are now "owned" by Jesus Christ." This is what we call, "Lordship." Even though we easily call Him Lord, is He really Lord of our entire lives? Being a Christian means being a follower of Jesus Christ . Jesus became the owner of our lives when we became a Christian, so we are not in charge of our lives. " Self" is no longer in charge; God is. Jesus wants us to choose to follow him rather than to lead a life of self-control and self-satisfaction. He wants us to stop trying to control our own destiny and to let him direct us. This makes good sense because, as the Creator, Christ knows better than we do what real life is about. When we give up our desires, ambitions, possessions, calculation, and even life itself, in service to Christ we discover the real purpose of living .

To be willing to put personal desires and life itself into God's hands means to understand that nothing that we can gain on our own in our earthly lives can compare to what we gain with Christ. So, this morning we have to ask ourselves honestly, " Who is the boss in my life? " "Who is in charge in our lives?" Secondly, Jesus said that following him means to take up one's own cross. To take up the cross was a vivid illustration of the humility and submission that Jesus was asking of his followers.  Jesus' words meant that his followers had to be prepared to obey God's command and to follow his will no matter what the consequences. Sometimes taking up the cross might indeed mean death. The cross reminds us that it can be risky to follow Jesus. We are used to seeing the Jesus who took up cross for us, but we are not familiar or comfortable with a vision of ourselves taking up our own crosses. It is not easy to follow Jesus, but to take up one's cross and follow Jesus is even more difficult.

Therefore, when we are taking up cross, we must count the cost and be prepared to pay it. On one occasion, Sadhu Sundar Singh, a Saint in India, and a companion were traveling through a pass high in the Himalayan Mountains. At one point, they came across a body lying in the snow. Sundar Singh wished to stop and help the unfortunate man, but his companion refused, saying, "We shall lose our lives if we burden ourselves with him." But Sundar Singh would not think of leaving the man to die in the ice and snow. As his companion bade him farewell, Sundar Singh lifted the poor traveler onto his back. With great exertion on his part, he bore the man onward, but gradually the heat from Sundar Singh's body began to warm up the poor frozen fellow, and he revived. Soon both were walking together side by side. Catching up with his former companion, they found him dead-frozen by the cold. This story clearly tells us about what "finding life by losing it" means. In the case of Sundar Singh, he was willing to lose his life on behalf of another in the name of God, and in the process found it ; in the case of his callous companion, he sought to save his life but lost it.  Jesus will come again, this is the promise of the Bible, and at that time He will be in His exalted state as King and Judge. Everyone's life is reviewed and evaluated.

While Jesus called his followers to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow, he also promised great reward. Their self-denial and discipleship would not be wasted. Their eternal destiny is secure, but Jesus will look at how they handled gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities in order to determine their heavenly rewards. Christ's return will be an occasion of vindication and reward for the faithful: "He will repay everyone for what has been done" (Matthew 16:27). Let us allow Jesus to, truly, be the Lord of our lives.

For more information, visit the following links.

http://www.followingjesus.org/index.htm

http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/

http://www.bcbsr.com/topics/fjseries.html

http://christiananswers.net/evangelism/