Take Up Your Cross

Luke 9:23

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.

Good afternoon ladies,

This month we are supposed to be thinking about what it means to be totally surrendered to Christ. In fact this is one of the verses that Rovellyn referenced.

But what does it really mean.

The first thing that jumps out at me is that it is a daily commitment. Everyday you have to follow Christ. So of course that would mean you have to know where He is going, and what He would want you to do, and the best way to do that is to start each day with Bible study and prayer. I mean how many of us would start out on a journey without any directions or any idea of where we are going. Every day with God is part of a journey; you really need directions to stay on course.

Second, Jesus gave them a choice. It was not commanded. He did not say, “You have to deny yourself and take up your cross.” He said, “IF anyone would come after me.” IF you want to follow me, IF you want to be my disciple, then this is what you have to do, deny yourself, and take up your cross.

Now we all know what it means to deny ourselves something. For example, I denied myself Halloween candy this year. Which means it is something I wanted but I did not let myself have it. But I think Jesus was aiming for something bigger than candy, especially since He mentions the cross.

To us the cross is the symbol of life; to the Jewish people it would have been the symbol of death. The Roman government crucified lots of people and many of them, including Jesus had to carry their own cross to the execution.

So what Jesus is saying is; if we want to follow Him, we must die to ourselves, our wants, our desires, and our agendas. No longer do WE get to pick what we do, say or even think. If we are serious about being a disciple of Christ, every thought, every action, and every word belongs to Him.

Now you know why we need the Holy Spirit.

Love,
Jill