Bible in a Year - Women’s Thematic Reading Plan | Day 256

Women’s Bible Reading Plan Day 256. Today we read Matthew 16:24-28. The theme is “Deny Yourself and Follow the Lord.” Through Jesus’ call to deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow Him, we learn what it means to lose our life for the Lord and yet find true life in Him. This page includes Matthew 16:24-28 Scripture, devotional reflection, meditation questions, a daily devotional verse, prayer, and life application.

🌸  Dear Sister, welcome to Day 256 of our reading journey. 

In daily life, we are often told to “be yourself,” “love yourself,” and “protect yourself.” Sometimes these words help us wake up from unhealthy pressure or harmful relationships. Yet if our lives revolve only around our own feelings, our own sense of safety, our own plans, and our own glory, we can easily place the self at the center without even realizing it.

As sisters, many of us know what it means to give. We give to our families, to our children, to our parents, to our work, to the church, and to the people around us. But when Jesus speaks of denying ourselves, He is not merely asking us to do more, endure more, or sacrifice more outwardly. He is calling us more deeply to surrender the ownership of our lives to Him. He invites us no longer to let self, fear, people’s opinions, worldly values, or our desire for control determine the direction of our lives, but to take up our cross and truly follow Him.

In Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” This is not a cold demand, but an invitation into true life. The Lord knows that if we only try to save ourselves, we will ultimately lose our lives. But when we are willing to lay down the self, our need for control, and the false security we cling to, we find a life in Him that cannot be taken away.

Today, let us quietly consider: What am I holding tightly? What am I afraid to lose? Is the Lord Jesus inviting me, in a specific relationship, choice, ministry, habit, or inward struggle, to lay down myself and follow Him again?

A Minute of Grace

Matthew 16:24-28 is a serious call from Jesus to His disciples. He does not describe following Him as a path that leads only to ease, applause, and self-fulfillment. Instead, He says clearly, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” To follow Christ is not merely to acknowledge Him, appreciate His teaching, or come to Him when we need help. It is to entrust the whole direction of our lives to Him.

To “deny ourselves” does not mean denying our God-given worth, nor does it mean despising the self that God created. Sisters, the Lord is not asking us to become people without feelings, without boundaries, without a voice, or to numb ourselves in unhealthy pain. True self-denial means that the self no longer sits on the throne. It means no longer allowing pride, fear, reputation, control, comparison, or worldly pursuits to rule our lives. It means confessing that Jesus is Lord and allowing His Word, His will, and His way to become the center of our lives.

To “take up the cross” does not simply refer to every inconvenience or difficulty in life. It means being willing to bear the cost of following the Lord. Sometimes that cost may be choosing forgiveness in a relationship instead of responding with silence or emotional revenge. Sometimes it means holding fast to the truth when others do not understand. Sometimes it means laying down the desire to be seen, praised, or affirmed, and quietly doing what pleases the Lord. Sometimes it means refusing the world’s definitions of success, beauty, worth, and security, and choosing instead to live before the eyes of God.

Jesus continues, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” This is a deep spiritual truth. If a person only tries to hold tightly to her own plans, comfort, benefit, and control, she may appear to preserve herself, but in reality she may lose the true meaning of life. Yet when we are willing to lay down what we cling to for the sake of the Lord, He brings us into a deeper, truer, freer life.

The Lord also asks, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” This reminds us to examine our hearts behind many pursuits that may seem normal. We may work hard, care for our families, pursue growth, and manage our lives well. But if these things eventually draw us away from the Lord, rob our souls of rest, and weaken our love and obedience toward God, then no outward gain can make up for the loss within.

Today’s theme, “Deny Yourself and Follow the Lord,” is not meant to pressure us into religious striving. It is an invitation to return to Jesus and ask Him: Lord, what is taking Your place in my life? What am I unwilling to release? What am I afraid to entrust to You? May the Lord help us learn not to force ourselves into sacrifice by our own strength, but to respond to His loving call by denying ourselves, taking up the cross, and following Him into true life.

Whispers for the Heart

1 Jesus says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself.” In your life right now, what is hardest for you to lay down? Is it your plan, your reputation, your sense of control, the approval of others, the hurt you are holding in your emotions, or some form of security you deeply want to keep?

2 What does “take up his cross, and follow me” mean for you today? In your family, marriage, parenting, work, ministry, or personal choices, is there an area where the Lord is calling you not to respond in your own way, but to obey according to His heart?

3 Jesus says that whoever will save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for His sake shall find it. Have you ever experienced that when you were willing to lay something down for the Lord, you received deeper peace, freedom, and life in Him?

4 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” What does this verse invite you to re-evaluate? Are you paying the price of spiritual dryness, broken relationships, loss of rest, or distance from the Lord for the sake of some outward gain?

Today, let us enter Matthew 16:24-28 with these questions. Do not understand “self-denial” only as outward hardship or sacrifice. Let it become a loving invitation: the Lord Jesus calls us to lay down the life that always wants to be in control, turn to Him, trust Him, and follow Him.

Let us take a quiet moment and bring before the Lord the things we find hardest to release, our deepest fears, and our most honest struggles. Then let us begin today’s reading together.

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🪕 Response Hymn: 

Matthew 16:24-28 KJV Scripture

24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

🪕 Response Hymn: 

💡 Closing Thought · Finding True Life in the Lord

After reading Matthew 16:24-28, we see that the call of Jesus is not a path that simply comforts the self, but a path that leads to true life. Self-denial does not mean denying the person God created; it means no longer allowing the self to reign. Taking up the cross does not mean meaningless suffering; it means trusting and loving the Lord enough to bear the cost of following Him in real life.

Perhaps today there are things in your heart that feel hard to release: a plan, a posture you are holding in a relationship, a sense of security, someone’s opinion of you, or an outcome you deeply want to control. The Lord does not harshly tear everything from your hands. He gently invites you to bring it all before Him. He knows what you fear, and He knows what you truly need.

May today’s Scripture remind you: what you lay down for the Lord will not be wasted in Him; what you entrust to Him will not fall empty. May you learn self-denial in ordinary days, take up your cross in specific choices, and find more and more deeply the true life that comes from following Christ.

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