Taking Up Your Cross Daily

How soon we forget what matters.

In our daily lives we move from one problem or interest or issue to another, caught up in the feeling of "this is important." Work, sex, our social lives, politics, our hobbies or our material well being involuntarily become primary, all the while as Christians we forget the words of our Lord directing us to holiness.

In Luke chapter 9, verse 22, Jesus says, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (emphasis added)

Jesus is not calling us to a life in which we act a little kinder, give a little more, or think a little more often about what it means to be a Christian. He is calling us to die to ourselves. To willingly suffer the same fate spiritually (and if need be physically) that He suffered, baring the cross of crucifixion and giving over our old selves for destruction. This means everything that you were before you become a follower of Jesus Christ, you are to give away. All of your own ideas, desires, your wants and needs, must become subservient to Christ. His will for your life becomes your desire, and what He allows you, you receive as blessing and not as a right or as a privilege. As a Master cares for his slave, so must we be cared for by our own loving Master. One who considers us friends and who shares with us his plans and his nature, who never goes back on a promise and who will always provide for us. As with the gift of salvation itself, we must constantly be giving thanks to God for everything in our lives, no matter if we perceive our circumstances in this world as either good or bad.

The Hard Truth about being a follower of Christ is that we will suffer trouble, hardship and even if need be death, but with our willingness to submit ourselves to His will and plan for our lives, we gain so much more than we can ever imagine.

The beginning of understanding our faith is knowing the sacrifice that was made for us, and understanding the call to sacrifice we, with the help of the Holy Spirit, must also undertake as we endeavour to imitate He who bought us with a price and snatched us out of the burning fire.