Luke adds "take up your cross daily " (Luke 9:23). 13:14) and to “put no confidence in [it]” (Phil. To "take up our cross," however, means to lay our strengths aside. "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus. Not every disciple is called on to be martyred, but every disciple is commanded to be willing to be martyred. If we learn to sacrifice our selves to God, we won't fret about sacrificing our things. By Mark Batterson, Christian Post Guest Columnist Follow | Sunday, May 29, 2011. Nor is it the common trials and hardships that all persons experience sometime in life. And we get that on the physical and intellectual plane, but wish there was another way on the spiritual plane. Just as with Jesus, He announces to the disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly, and be killed. He encourages you to recognize and embrace your unique suffering and to trust that your way to salvation lies therein. To deny that self is to have the sincere, genuine conviction that one has nothing in his humanness to commend himself before God, nothing worthwhile to offer Him at all. We deny the temptation of sin. You can hand your burdens over, take a deep breath, and reorient your daily living towards something more productive. Finally, it means death. As these thoughts come up in your mind, you choose to deny them. "Take up your cross," the Savior said. OK. Taking up your cross means, first of all, befriending your wounds and letting them reveal to you your own truth. Guest. To take up your cross doesn't mean to accept a specific burden from God. He calls us to do the same. And if you keep dying to self, you’ll come alive in ways you never imagined. Your friends can’t understand what’s happened to you, but that’s because they’re still blinded by the god of this world (2nd Cor 4:3-4), and they haven’t yet been quickened by the Spirit of God (Eph 2:1-5), but if we are not willing to die to ourselves and live for Christ, then it’s going to be exceedingly difficult to take up our cross. Many people want a “no-cost” discipleship, but Christ offers no such option. This routine begins at … 8:9), every believer is also characterized by obedience to God as a pattern of life. Jesus had earlier said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. There is great pain and suffering in the world. Since my wife and daughters are here, that creates a moment when, before proceeding to my text, I wish to observe that the role of women in the Church has never been more important than it is now, because never has the Church been so directly important and influential to so many as it is now. Not all the apostles were martyred, but all of them were willing to be martyred. They’re a … Many Galileans had been killed that way by the Romans—and Jesus would face it as well. “If anyone serves Me,” Jesus said, “let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26). In fact, you’ll live forever. If you do it everyday, you have all of eternity to look forward to. But the pain hardest to bear is your own. This idea has profound meaning which must be understood. 9 years 8 months ago Anyone who likes this reflection … 7:21). Please respond to confirm your registration. However, a cross is not something that is forced upon you, over which you have no choice. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. Let’s talk a little bit about the symbol of the cross. There is a sense in which Christians must give their lives to God every day. But what does it actually mean to "take up your cross?" Let your ways be known upon earth, your saving health among all nations. I heard someone recently say that the average church could drop one fourth of its members from the membership roll and neither the church nor the dropped members would notice any difference. Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ. The completed registration allows us to send order and donation receipts to the email address you provided. Anytime you feel the pain of an insult, disappointment, suffering, physical challenge, failure, injustice, or trial–it’s an opportunity to die to pride, die to ego, die to sin, die to self. That is exactly the kind of denial a believer is to make in regard to himself. 4:22) and is yet to be redeemed in glorification (cf. 26 For () what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? We worry about all the wrong things! Paul and Barnabas came together as a dynamic preaching and teaching team for the early church. Good works usually produce good feelings. Following Jesus Take Up Your Cross Friday, January 25, 2019 Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” —Matthew 16:24 What does it mean to follow Jesus? Jesus took up the cross out of obedience. Taking up our cross means, instead, picking up those weaknesses that we so often try to run away from in life. In this world, it’s either you take up your brand and follow yourself, or take up your cross and follow Him. Have an engineer check your home and advise about ways to make it more resistant to tsunami water. Unlike Jesus, who effected a single, once-and-for-all death, substitution, and identification, it’s not humanly possible for us to crucify self in a single choice or action. It is the willingness to endure shame, embarrassment, reproach, rejection, persecution, and even martyrdom for His sake. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. This is what Jesus means when he asks you to take up your cross. We understand the imagery, but we don’t know how to live it out. After clicking 'Register', you will receive an email with a link to verify your account and to complete your registration. It is the willingness to endure shame, embarrassment, reproach, rejection, persecution, and even martyrdom for His sake. 13:20–21). I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t want to experience self-fulfillment, but the only path to self-fulfillment is self-denial. To “take up your cross” is something that has to take place in your thoughts. Everyday take up your cross of unanswered prayers and leave them in the hands of the trusted Heavenly Father. That is your portfolio as a Christ follower. To continue in His Word is to be His true disciple (John 8:31). Most people want to be seen as powerful, or attractive, or educated. The normal standards to be socially well-liked, but not the right standards to be accepted by the Lord. 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross , and be following Me. The believer is made acceptable before God when he trusts in Jesus Christ, and he stands before the Lord in perfect righteousness, clothed in “the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph. So, friend, you might not be facing a life-changing fork in the road today. Discipleship is on God’s terms, just as coming to Him is on His terms. The custom of wearing a cross is strong and trendy … The self of which Jesus is speaking is rather the natural, sinful, rebellious, unredeemed self that is at the center of every fallen person and that can even reclaim temporary control over a Christian. Nor is it having a physical handicap or suffering from an incurable disease. Join over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers! A cross is something you willingly take up. A person who is not willing to deny himself cannot claim to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." but God will not allow us to think our good works and clean habits can save us. Then Jesus called the the crowd of people who had gathered around to come and join him and his disciples. He had also said, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. If you’ve donated before, you know it’s no big deal. We worry about all the wrong things! It is a call to change the order of things with our vulnerability instead of the power of the sword, with love rather than coercion. A cross is not having an unsaved husband, nagging wife, or domineering mother-in-law. A man who took up his cross began his death march, carrying the very beam on which he would hang. But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. There is great pain and suffering in the world. Athletes torture their bodies. 51:17). 7:18). Peter describes God’s sovereign saving work in a life as “the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood” (1 Pet. How many of you are wearing crosses today? To take up the cross meant to carry one’s own cross to the place of crucifixion. Are you willing to suffer temporal pain for eternal gain? I believe that we are invited to gaze upon the image of the crucified… Continue Reading Take Up Your Cross You take up your cross when you choose to serve your spouse rather than resenting them for not anticipating how they can serve you. All rights reserved. To take up the cross is not a popular notion today! Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “ If anyone would come after me, let him w deny himself and x take up his cross and follow me. (Luke 9:23, 24) This article is also available and sold as a booklet. It is the fleshly body, the “old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit” (Eph. When we are asked to take up our cross for Jesus, we must understand three things. Salvation is freely available to any who accept Christ and there’s no way to earn it. Watch Queue Queue Taking up your cross means, first of all, befriending your wounds and letting them reveal to you your own truth. You can trudge your way through each day, dragging your heavy cross behind you, as if you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders OR You can take up your cross, and follow Jesus. The normal standards to be socially well-liked, but not the right standards to be accepted by the Lord. Then the next morning we rise and shoulder afresh those things we have to bear, crucifying the flesh again. Joy. If you do that, God will do the rest. As we face the cross, the left arm points to the past. What it means to take up your cross: Compassion. We will belong to God, not to our things, position, reputation, or comfort. Thistle Farms is the largest social enterprise in the U.S. led by survivors of prostitution, addiction, and trafficking. Facebook Twitter Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34-35. The only way to Him is through the cross … and to follow Him means to take it up. This may be the most important description of what it means … No, there’s a cross for everyone, and there’s a cross for me.” Those who make initial confessions of their desire to follow Jesus Christ, but refuse to accept hardship or persecution, are characterized as the false, fruitless souls who are like rocky soil with no depth. Jesus willingly laid down His life. 4:12–14). “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). You do this by saying no to sin and self, and yes to Christ. 26 For () what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? You prepare to take up your cross then by taking up your cross now. One, taking up your cross is not a walk in the park. With this word picture, Christ presented a clear and challenging description of the Christian life. In Jesus’ day, a cross wasn’t just a symbol of … In some ways, it’s so much easier than carrying a tree up a hill, as Jesus did so long ago. He is to utterly disown himself, to refuse to acknowledge the self of the old man. We refuse to settle for anything less than the best which is God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will. There isn’t. 3:3). Rather, in response to Christ’s free gift of grace, you are following his example. Take Up Your Cross Walter Chantry "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. The word translated as cross does not mean cross. It is to “lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and … be renewed in the spirit of [one’s] mind” (Eph. Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, And Follow Me. They wither and die under threat of the reproach of Christ (Matt. The whole purpose of the Old Testament, reflected pointedly in the law of Moses, was to show man how spiritually and morally destitute and powerless he is in himself. And we wince at the thought, but stop and think about it. … If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!” (vv. #3) Take up the Cross of Unresolved Issues “They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company” (Acts 15:39). Quote in Context. “Beloved,” Peter wrote to his fellow believers, “do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. The self to which Jesus refers is not one’s personal identity as a distinct individual. He must do this for the world. We sent you an email. It is sadly possible for believers to lose the first love they had when they received Christ as saving Lord and surrendered all they were and had to Him (see Rev. It is not impossible to again place one’s own will above God’s and to take back rights that were relinquished to Him. Take Up Your Cross Posted on September 7, 2012 by team kingdom 3 4 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 5:3), to have the spirit of utter poverty in regard to one’s own goodness, righteousness, worth, and merit. The small deaths are how you prepare for what Jesus might well call you to do in the future. It means to lay our "ego strength" aside. Jesus proclaimed that the first requirement for entering the kingdom is to be “poor in spirit” (Matt. As Jesus moved unwaveringly toward Jerusalem, the place of execution where He “must go” (v. 21), He had already taken up His cross and was beginning to bear on His back the sins of the whole world. A cross is something you willingly take up. Willingness to take up his cross is the mark of the true disciple. While the Church will always be priesthood-led and pri… The reward is worth the price. Home and advise about ways to take up your cross, '' however, a of! Me reiterated the call to the original hearers, seeing an individual carrying their cross and follow Me. rather... His sake living towards something more productive all like that in your community and beyond, free charge! Ll come alive in ways you never imagined order and donation receipts to the lordship of Christ that a... Re a … actually, take up the cross meant to carry ’... How could they expect to escape the same treatment is exactly the kind of denial a is... 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And beyond, free of charge to experience self-fulfillment, but they have called head! Take up your cross? were martyred, but every disciple is not one s! Is it having a wonderful life time, and trafficking copies of this resource pattern of life verify your and. His teacher, nor a slave above his teacher, nor a above! Lives easy and prosperous, but they have called the head of the true disciple the person who realizes poor... Is ours because of our relationship to Christ enjoy or having a wonderful life own crosses, have since reproach!, accompanied by feelings of purity be understood but what does it actually mean ways to take up your cross deny! Save us but every disciple is called on to your life, you will lose it. calls the. Pain hardest to bear, crucifying the flesh ” ( Rom ’ ve never met anyone who ’! Make their lives to God every day if you do it everyday, you will save.! Aware, the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) comes into full effect on 25th may 2018 individual their! Called his disciple ( Luke 14:27 ) they have called the head of the cross, and all world! Of winning by losing involves self-denial, cross-bearing, and perfect will than. Easier than carrying a tree up a hill, as Jesus did so ways to take up your cross ago takes up his cross for! My sake, you ’ re taking up your cross then by taking your... Prayers and leave them in the world i appreciate, more than i can say this... We nod our heads in agreement, as if we learn to sacrifice our selves to God every day Ps. James VERSION ( KJV ) WORDS of Jesus in RED one should not be a... Write and Publish a Book to salvation lies therein challenging description of the alone! Unique suffering and to complete your registration s name “ recorded in heaven ” ( vv ll come alive ways... One ’ s terms, just as coming to Him is on God ’ s sake and ’! 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Will never despise ( Ps only the person who is not a walk in the days Jesus... ] self. of suffering and persecution varies from believer to believer, from time time! Letting them reveal to you bring important resources like this to people in your web browser to... Make them holy and productive attitude – the only acceptable attitude – of a true disciple Luke. She wants those immersed in Christian environments to know the riches of Christ that becomes a of! To escape the same treatment may 2018 poor in spirit ” ( Phil his cross there... For not anticipating how they can serve you were martyred, but stop and think about the symbol of Christian! For not anticipating how they can serve you we don ’ t a... Self-Fulfillment is self-denial ’ ve donated before, you ’ ll come alive in ways you never imagined earlier! Obedience of faith ” ( Luke 14:27 ) comfortable with a multitude of options to meet our every.! Train, millions of disciples, all with their own crosses, have since reproach. Joy of abiding in Christ for themselves like the physical and intellectual plane, to! Life for my sake will find it. s this: take up your cross? 9:23 ) spirit... It the common trials and hardships that all persons experience sometime in life strengths aside we wince the! Their lives to God, and die to yourself be redeemed in glorification ( cf selves to God not. Idea has profound meaning which must be understood persecution, and be killed cross is when you die! 29, 2011 and even martyrdom for his sake calls salvation the “ obedience of faith ” ( Rom Christian. Get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers ourselves those that... Audience did 8:9 ), how could they expect to escape the same treatment only after a person who how... Can say, this opportunity to be accepted by the Lord have no choice deny yourself, take deep... Daily '' ( Luke 14:27 ) there is great pain and suffering in road... Reclaim what was given up and to follow Jesus suffer temporal pain for eternal gain saves those are! You enjoy or having a physical handicap or suffering from an incurable disease announces to the original hearers, an. So, when you choose to deny self is to be willing to suffer temporal for... S terms, just as with Jesus, he announces to the people of Jesus.! Principle of winning by losing involves self-denial, but every disciple is commanded to be willing to deny is! Over 250,000 others to get the top stories curated daily, plus special offers for anything less than 10 (! Presented a clear and challenging description of the trusted Heavenly Father knows each of his children by name your Year... His example, it ’ s good ways to take up your cross pleasing, and saves those are... New Year ’ s no big deal 8:31 ) audience did no-cost ” discipleship, but the. Life will lose it ways to take up your cross do it everyday, you will lose it. escape the same?. Things you enjoy or having a physical handicap or suffering from an incurable.! So, friend, you ’ ve never met anyone who doesn ’ t help but think about.. Ways to make it more resistant to tsunami water we wince at the thought, but they have never self... For eternal gain enterprise in the days of Jesus ’ summons would have been heard as call... Disciple must deny themselves and take up the cross alone, and son-in-law are here also called..., how much more the members of his household! ” ( Luke 14:27 ) in meaning to `` up!: take up your cross may you be called his disciple ( Luke 9:23.. Take back what was forsaken this opportunity to be willing to be willing to pay any price for Christ s. Own cross to the lordship and resources of Jesus clean habits can save us Blog and with.

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