Cross Carrying Christians – July 19, 2019

[Jesus said] “Whoever wants to be my disciple must . . . take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 9:23,24

Cross Carrying Christians

Is it all worth it? Is the triumph to come worth all of the trouble we face now? Is the crown of life in store for us worth the crosses that we will have to bear for confessing Christ?

Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciples must . . . take up their cross daily and follow me.”
The cross Christ calls us to bear includes everything we endure because of our faithfulness to Christ and his Word.

It is the opportunities we miss out on in this world because we put God first in our lives.

It is the way our conscience won’t leave us alone until we find peace in our Savior’s blood shed on the cross.

It is the rejection and the ridicule we face for believing and confessing that God’s Word is changeless truth in a world that is constantly reshaping truth to fit its own desires.

It is the broken relationships and the divided families that result when those we love deny some or all of the truth of God’s Word.

It is heartache for a world and, no doubt, for people we know, who increasingly deny God’s truth.

Carrying such crosses is not an option. It is not avoidable. And we can’t do it alone. The strength to bear our crosses comes only from Christ, who carried his cross up Calvary to die for us and for every sinner.

The weight of his cross was more than we could ever imagine. It was the weight of the guilt of the whole world’s sins. But he bore that weight willingly. He lifted its burden off of you and me and was crushed under its heavy load. Because he carried that cross, we are free from guilt and free to live forever with him who rose from the dead after he atoned for each and every one of our sins.

Whenever we confess Christ as Savior, the cross comes along with it. The cross of Christ, through which he overcame sin and death for us. And the cross we bear with the strength he provides, as we follow him through this life to eternal life.

Prayer:
Savior, who bore the cross for me, help me bear my crosses as I follow you. Amen.