Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
On Day 2 we had the companion verse to today’s. We saw that Luke 9:23 also said we must take up our cross and follow Him. Why did I choose to include so many similar verses this month? My goal is to focus on different aspects of each verse because they are so vitally important to our ability to surrender. They NEED to be studied more if we want to grow in our faith. But if you do not want a repeat, you can find a new verse here tomorrow.
On Day 2 we defined the specific parts of the verse and made sure we understood what each portion meant. Today’s goal is to explore ways we can deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Him.
Though this is not a pleasant thought, we need to understand what it means to take up our cross. The process of carrying a cross is hard. It is struggle, sweat, pain, tears. It is ugly. Imagine how difficult it is to carry something that is large and bulky, so heavy you have to drag it along behind you as you strain with all of your might to move forward, one shaky footstep at a time.Carrying a cross is not an easy task.
And our task is the same. Whatever our struggles, they are not going to be easy to bear. We know it is going to be a challenge and it won’t be pleasant. But if we keep our eyes on Him, follow Him, and trust that He is there guiding us and helping us, we can bear that cross. We can push forward, one heavy step after another. And we know the glory in the end will be worth every agonizing footstep.
We do this by seeking Him. We seek Him daily, hourly, minute by minute. We keep our eyes focused on Him. We hide His Word in our heart and we meditate on it when we need encouragement and strength. We turn to His Word to find truth and understanding. We surround ourselves with our fellow believers so that we can strengthen one another and help carry those crosses together.
No matter how difficult it feels, pick up that cross, place it on your shoulder, fix your eyes on Him, and take those first few steps toward Him. It may be hard to start, but remember who you follow. He has already traveled that path Himself and He is helping You bear that cross today.
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