the way of the cross

"So what exactly does it mean to follow Jesus?

This is how Jesus answered that question: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me' (Luke 9:23). Following Jesus means following the way of the cross. Later, in Luke's gospel, Jesus says: 'And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot become my disciple' (Luke 14:27).

It's a call to die. For some this may mean a call to literal death - to persecution and martyrdom. ...

But for all of us it's a call to die to self. This way of the cross isn't the calling of a few. It's the stamp of every Christian's life. When Paul says we're to be imitators of God, he spells this out by saying that we're to 'live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God' (Ephesians 5:1-2).

To follow the way of the cross means to show the same sacrificial love that Jesus showed when he went to the cross...

• sacrifice
• submission
• self-denial
• service
• suffering

From Tim Chester, The Ordinary Hero: Living the cross and resurrection, pp49-50.

I'm loving this book.  If there is only one Christian book you read this year, pick this one.  It's passionate, challenging and heartwarming.