WHAT ARE YOU CARRYING?

Luke 9:22-26
22 And [Jesus] said, "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." 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. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 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.

I love the word anyone in Luke 9:23. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after Me . . ." That's one of the best things about Jesus' message--He'll take anyone. No résumés, applications, or tests. Just look at the kinds of people Jesus accepted: the mentally ill, the outcasts, the sexually promiscuous, people with different political beliefs, the old, the young, the blind--any and all who recognized their need of Him.

But once you're "in," Jesus asks something of you: "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). Jesus didn't say "take up the cross" or "any cross." We each have a personal cross. Each of us has his own genes, personality, and family experiences. Even your siblings, who lived in the same home with the same people and the same circumstances, probably saw things differently than you did. Tell people about your biggest temptation and they might wonder what's the big deal. Your fears are not mine. My weaknesses are not yours.

In New Testament times, people were forced to carry literal crosses for various crimes, and then were forced to die on them. People dying on crosses couldn't hide. They were hung in plain view for everyone to see, helpless to cover themselves. There's no camouflage for someone on a cross--fragile human skin splayed against rough, gnarled wood. Crosses have a way of taking pride away. And that's good, because pride keeps you from Jesus.

As you carry your cross each day, remember: You're doing it because Jesus asks you to. He carried a cross for you. It wasn't forced on Him; He carried it willingly. He gave His life on that cross so you can live. He "endured the cross, scorning its shame" (Hebrews 12:2).

Keep carrying your cross and don't be ashamed as long as it keeps you following Jesus. --Tracy Carbaugh

DESTINATION POINTS

* What is my cross? Am I aware of it every day?
* Does my cross keep me close to Jesus, or does it make me bitter and angry?
* Why does Jesus want me to "deny" myself?

LINKS:
What's The Cost Of Faithfulness?
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cl/8c2/8c2010.html

bottom line: Your cross is a lifeline, not a death sentence.

soul journey