HOW TO CARRY YOUR CROSS

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” ~ Luke 9:23-24 (NIV)

What exactly is Jesus asking us to carry?

What does Jesus mean by “deny themselves” and “take up their cross daily”?

How do we put this into practice in our everyday lives?

What does the cross mean to you and me?

My wife took a poll on Facebook to see what the cross means to those who answered:

Propitiation

Forgiveness

Freedom

Peace

Salvation

Life

Redemption

Love

Healing

Alive

Eternity

Joy

Everything

Saved

Mercy

Hope

Tetelestai (Greek word for “It is Finished”

The cross stands for something vastly more mysterious than any wooden beams could represent. I believe the cross captures all that the work of salvation has placed in our hands. The cross is far from an ornament to wear; it is an order to carry out. I want to take a look at what it looks like to carry your cross like a hero.

Listen as aul describes this dynamic of carrying the Cross to the new believers in Rome: So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. (Romans 12:1–2, MSG)

Jesus didn’t hold formal crusades, conferences, or even weekly services. Yet every waking moment of his life was a message. Jesus carried God with him every day, everywhere he went, and He is asking us to do the same. Embracing all of what God has done for us and helping others do the same. What if each day we prayed, “Heavenly Father, may everything that the crucifixion of your Son provided gain full expression in and through my life today. I choose to deny sin and my former limitations as I magnify your work and follow you”? Our world would see Jesus lifted up. When this exchange happens, our gaze shifts. Instead of looking at ourselves, we become attentive to the life of Jesus. By reading our Bible, we learn the way he moved through his days. What we were freely given, we freely give.

Denying Yourself

What Christ Jesus meant by denying ourselves is to deny the parts of ourselves that are sinful. Consistently saying no to selfishness, pride, and gluttony is hard to do. It is like training a muscle. My selfish ways are different from yours. The cross we take up is unique to each of our journeys. I don’t carry your cross, nor do you carry mine. To carry your cross, means to fully put your trust in God amid the storms and battles in your life. It means that although you may be in an extremely difficult or painful situation, you always trust that God is with you in the midst of your suffering.

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Matthew 26:39 NLT

I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.Colossians 1:24 NLT

Take up Your Cross by Treat Others With Love

The Bible has a lot to say about this subject. Multiple passages reaffirm the idea of loving one another. Romans 12:10 says to “love one another with brotherly affection.” Matthew 22:37‭-‬39 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor

as yourself.’ and Ephesians 4:32 says to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Christ purchased us love, forgiveness, freedom, and redemption. Each of these words captured some of the elemental essences of the Cross that needed to be expressed to the lost world. (And even to quite a few churches.) Paul described his cross-carry this way: We carry this precious Message [of the Cross] around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. (2 Corinthians 4:7, MSG). We share what Jesus has done for us so others will come to know the saving grace of the cross and the love of our Savior.

Putting It Into Practice

Following Jesus and His example is something we are called to do as disciples of Christ.

3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. 4 If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. 1 John 2:3-4

Some practical ways we can do this is by setting time aside to spend with God through reading the Word, praise and worship, fellowship with other believers, make disciples, love others, and pray. Be a doer not an observer.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

James 2:17 NLT