Not I but Christ - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2026

Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Mark 8:34

Not I but Christ
I have heard it said, "People should be allowed to be themselves." But I can find no scriptural basis to support this statement, for freedom "to be myself" is to speak and act as I please. If such a practice were carried out in an assembly, the result would be that Christ would be dethroned and self would be enthroned. The promotion of self is contrary to Scripture, for Paul writes, "Knowing this, that our old man [our former self] was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin" . "Not I, but Christ" should be our rule of conduct.

In principle, every Christian is a disciple, but until you and I are prepared to obey fully the words of the Lord Jesus, we cannot truly call ourselves disciples. To come after Him, therefore, is firstly, to deny self. The "pleasing of self" must be replaced by pleasing Christ. Secondly, he must take up his cross. Notice, that the Lord did not say, "Let him take up My cross." He alone could bear the awful wrath of God on the cross, suffer, and die for sin. Taking up our cross shows the willingness to share in the scorn, rejection, and reproach, which the Lord experienced in His walk through this world. Only then, are we truly following Him.

Richard A. Barnett