How to Bear Your Cross and Follow Jesus

‘And he who does not take up his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it,’ (Matthew 10:38-39).

In these days of self-reliance, it is vitally important that we believers remember the words of our Savior. Since the message of the Cross is rarely taught in church anymore, we must decide to turn to Scripture to discover the meaning of ‘taking up our cross.’

In His Steps

 

Jesus’ death on the cross was only part of His bearing of His cross. The journey to Golgotha was the other part. He lived under the shadow of death. He bore the weight of His cross, knowing it would save sinners.

While such a sacrifice on our part would not do what His sacrifice did and does every day, we can choose to bear our cross in the way God has called each of us to bear it. By obeying our Lord, we show that we love Him. This is evidence of our salvation, not a path to earning blessings.

 

God blesses those who call on His name. He wants to bless His sheep. In taking up our cross and bearing it, without grumbling or complaining (Philippians 2:14), we find ourselves walking in grace—by the grace of our Savior—and God will bless us. But remember, we are not activating God here. We are following His design and will for our lives. Every blessing that comes our way is not earned but graciously given.

It is important to remember that. It is also important to realize that sometimes, when we expect a blessing, a trial comes our way instead. This does not mean God does not accept you. It might only mean that He wants to try our faith through fiery trials so that we might grow in our knowledge of God, developing a stronger faith and relationship with the Lord (1 Peter 4:12-13).

So how do we bear our cross?

In Luke 9:23-25 Jesus says this: ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world but is himself lost?’

Steps to bearing your cross:

·         Deny yourself (release your hold on your desires in order to follow God’s design for your life)

·         Obey God’s word

·         Walk in the steps of Jesus (loving our neighbors, speaking peace, etc)

·         Know that in following Him, we find the true meaning of our lives. A sense of purpose is greatest  in those who seek God’s purpose

See also Mathew 16:24 and Mark 8:34

It won’t be easy. Following Jesus is straightforward and spiritually rewarding, but rarely easy. But when you find your life in line with His teachings, when your will finally stop clashing with God’s will, then you will discover a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philipians 4:7).

It is hard, denying your desires, yourself. But Ecclesiastes advises us to enjoy the journey, and Deuteronomy 28 (among numerous places in Scripture) promises that God will bless us. This is not a blanket blessing, where God vows to give you everything you want no matter what.

 

New Thought ideology is very pleasant to contemplate, but it just doesn’t jive with Scripture. Deuteronomy 29:13-15 places restrictions, conditional points on the promise of blessings. We are not to veer to the right hand or to the left; we must be careful to observe all of God’s commands (submitting to His will and not seeking our own desires).

What is God calling you to do? What is He calling you to give up? Pride? Time in service to others? Money? Think and pray on it. Ask God to guide you in His will so that you might take up your cross and follow Him.

The Power to Save Resides in Christ Alone

In an age where empowerment and self-reliance are touted as supreme goals, virtues to be praised, it is vital that we recognize where our salvation truly comes from.

The power to save resides in Christ alone. The bible makes this single truth crystal clear, again and again.

‘For by grace have you been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast’ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

That verse alone should be enough to convince us that we cannot save ourselves. We do not have the power to save ourselves. If we did, there would have been no reason for the sacrificial death and resurrection of our Savior. The necessity of His coming to earth was the most blatant display of our powerlessness, and of our need to be saved by One greater than ourselves.

Unfortunately there is much guff out there trying to diminish the greatness of His work in order to exalt human power. But Scripture, as always, illuminates the truth:

‘—for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3:23).

‘—and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness of God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed unto His death’ (Philippians 3:9-10).

 Notice there that righteousness is not found in us apart from Christ. Also note that the bible emphasizes God’s righteousness, God’s resurrection, God’s sufferings—not ours. All that has been done and is done toward saving us comes through our Heavenly Father and the saving grace of His Son.

Our lives are brightened every day by the hope we find in our Savior. It is, truly, a miracle that He came to save us. Wisdom can be found in taking a precious moment out of each day to sit and be silent before our Lord, to meditate on His grace and to praise His name for coming to save lost souls. The message of the cross has not changed. It does not need updating or translating into modern social media rhetoric. It is the single greatest expression of love in history, and we owe everyday of our lives to His miraculous sacrifice. Amen.

Putting God First in Your Life - Through Worship

You never hear anyone say: ‘I really need to catch up on my worship.’ And that is a shame.

We place much emphasis on our busy lives, and yet how much time do we give to the One who gave all to us? Do you try to squeeze God into your schedule? God needs to come first in your life. FIRST.

Nothing in this world should be more important to you than your relationship with God. When you work on that, when you make time every day and night to worship Him, to read and study and live Scripture, and when you show you love Him by obeying His word, then every other relationship in your life will be guided by the light of your Creator.

By putting God first, you will know how to properly (biblically) love your spouse. Your raising of your children will be performed with a righteous, loving, and firm hand. You will respond to the unbelievers in your life with Scriptural wisdom. The bible tells us to think on the things of God, of heaven, and on what is good. When our thoughts dwell constantly on the earthly and on yourself, you fall prey to Satan’s devices. So arm yourself with God’s word, and spend more time with Him.

Take a deep, slow breath, and then search the scriptures and draw near to God. See what truly matters in this world, and in the next.

Seek guidance in: Colossians 3:2-10. 1 Timothy 4:6. 1 Chronicles 16:29. Psalm 95:6. Matthew 4:10. John 4:24. Psalm 29:2 – Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

Matthew 10:34-38 tells us that we must love Him above all else. These are hard words by our Savior. But He often uses shocking language to drive home His point. Here that point is that He must come first, for it is only through this order that we can properly view others and ourselves. We will learn to love our neighbor and properly treat our family, when we put God first. For by doing this, we learn to humble ourselves and exalt Him.

This is the opposite of modern teaching, where we are taught to exalt ourselves, and where God comes into play later, if there’s time left in the day. The bible had it right 2 millennia ago, and it has it right today. Don’t let backward modern feel-good philosophies confuse your Christianity. God first.