We All Have a Cross to Bear?
And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23
There is a common phrase that many people say, and it goes something like this. “We all have our cross to bear.” This phrase is often used when we refer to a thankless job, some annoying situation, a persistent hardship, or some constant annoyance. It is a reference to what Jesus said in Luke 9:23 but this is not what Jesus meant when He said that we are to deny ourselves, take up a cross, and follow Him.
When Jesus spoke these words, no one in His day thought He was referring to some persistent burden or inconvenience. In Jesus’s day, the cross was a symbol of death. This doesn’t sound so appealing unless you understand what Jesus says next. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Luke 9:24.
Today, we see the symbol of the cross as not just a symbol of a torturous death, but a symbol of hope, forgiveness, atonement, and above all love. The cross is where God’s justice and mercy perfectly intersect. That should cause us to see our lives and circumstances in a different light. This is the true meaning of taking up our cross daily and following Jesus.
The truth is we all have inconveniences that we deal with but they do not equate to a cross. The cross Jesus speaks of is that we are to live out our hope and allegiance to what Jesus has done to give us our foundation of hope daily despite any trouble or circumstance. When we see the great sacrifice Jesus has made for us on the cross, it gives us confidence to give our lives away for the greater joy in Him. This is played out in how we respond to those constant annoyances, persistent hardships, and tough circumstances. To pick up our cross daily is to show the world that your hope is in Christ our King and is not dictated by worldly circumstances.
When we understand it the way Jesus meant it, the cross we are to carry is really not that heavy because Jesus still carries the heavy part.
There is a common phrase that many people say, and it goes something like this. “We all have our cross to bear.” This phrase is often used when we refer to a thankless job, some annoying situation, a persistent hardship, or some constant annoyance. It is a reference to what Jesus said in Luke 9:23 but this is not what Jesus meant when He said that we are to deny ourselves, take up a cross, and follow Him.
When Jesus spoke these words, no one in His day thought He was referring to some persistent burden or inconvenience. In Jesus’s day, the cross was a symbol of death. This doesn’t sound so appealing unless you understand what Jesus says next. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. Luke 9:24.
Today, we see the symbol of the cross as not just a symbol of a torturous death, but a symbol of hope, forgiveness, atonement, and above all love. The cross is where God’s justice and mercy perfectly intersect. That should cause us to see our lives and circumstances in a different light. This is the true meaning of taking up our cross daily and following Jesus.
The truth is we all have inconveniences that we deal with but they do not equate to a cross. The cross Jesus speaks of is that we are to live out our hope and allegiance to what Jesus has done to give us our foundation of hope daily despite any trouble or circumstance. When we see the great sacrifice Jesus has made for us on the cross, it gives us confidence to give our lives away for the greater joy in Him. This is played out in how we respond to those constant annoyances, persistent hardships, and tough circumstances. To pick up our cross daily is to show the world that your hope is in Christ our King and is not dictated by worldly circumstances.
When we understand it the way Jesus meant it, the cross we are to carry is really not that heavy because Jesus still carries the heavy part.
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