Take Up Your Cross

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Matthew 10:38-39

To walk in the pathways of Christ, one must have a desire and be committed through all the levels in phases of life that he/she will be exposed too…  This voyage isn’t for the weak at heart nor is it for those who don’t appreciate the trials and tribulations that you will have to endure… This is why Jesus says that if he (anybody) doesn’t take his cross and follow after Him “is not worthy of me…” Taking up your cross and following Jesus separates the true believer from the church attendee; it draws the dividing line between those who are fighting the good fight of faith and those who are provoked by the things of this world… Jesus declares in Matthew 15:8, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Not everyone who attends church is a true believer in Christ; not everyone who calls on Him through their lips has allowed Him in their heart… Again, in today’s verses Jesus tells us that if we do not take up our cross that we are not worthy of Him… To be counted unworthy means that we have been classified as not fit, undeserving or shameful… The goodness of Jesus outweighs the sweat and tears that will be poured out in following Him… Jesus doesn’t lose when one doesn’t take up their cross and follow Him, this is why you are the one who will be deemed unworthy… Are you worthy today of receiving His unmerited favor and blessings upon your life…? This passage teaches us today that taking up your cross is a (n) honor and a privilege that we should eagerly undertake knowing that to be counted in that number is of the most value to our lives… The gospel of Matthew reminds us today of the responsibilities, duties and obligations that we have as a child of God… So many of us walk around proclaiming with our tongue that we are Christians, but Matthew informs us that there is only one way that is shown, by taking up your cross… The term taking up your cross has several meanings for us to understand and adhere too, but the biggest duty that that phrase embodies is denying the desires of the sinful nature and clinging to the will of God… The truth of the matter is that we all entered this world as sinners and it is only by taking up your cross that we find life and freedom… During the life of Jesus on this earth crucifixion represented humiliation; someone who was being crucified had to carry their cross through the city while people hurled insults and mocked them… Just like Jesus, we must carry our cross throughout the city, no matter how many people mock us, no matter how many people try to humiliate us, no matter how many insults are hurled upon us, we have a cross to bear and must bear it if we want to be with Him in glory…The bible says that “He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me…” The proof is in the pudding and the reality is that we all have a cross to bear… Understand that in bearing your cross you will experience some bad days, in bearing your cross you will experience some sleepless nights, understand that in bearing your cross there will be heartache, there will be pain and there indeed will be suffering… Jesus bore His cross and we find many times when He was nailed to it that He cried out, He cried out because of the pain, the loneliness, the misery, the discomfort and the heartache He felt and endured, but He now sits at the right hand of God… We too have a place in heaven, but we must go through and endure the agony, pain and strife that carrying our cross brings in order to get there… Matthew says, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it...” So many of us are wondering through this life trying to please everybody and live the “American Dream” and the reality is that we are simply losing our chance to receive the blessings that Jesus poured out on the cross… A Christian isn’t worried about social status, a Christian isn’t worried about pleasing mankind, and a Christian isn’t worried about materialistic things… We are losing our lives every day when we lose focus of God’s calling… Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God wants to give you hope, He wants you to have a bright future, He wants you to prosper and reach the highest of heights in both your physical and spiritual life… We are humbled by the fact that taking up our cross will cause us to lose some friends, we are humbled by the fact that taking up our cross will have us enduring insults and mockery, we are humbled by the fact that taking up our cross will be a painful endeavor; however, we find joy in knowing that we will find life, happiness, love, we find joy in taking up our cross because we know that we will understand and fulfill our purpose.

BE BLESSED!!!