The Cross I Bear

I unfortunately don't have much time to write this blog, but I feel like I need to share it anyway. So here goes. Hopefully it won't be riddled with typos.

Recently I've been thinking about what it means to take up my cross daily. Growing up in a church and attending Christian schools, I have grown very familiar with that phrase, but what does it really mean? I have sometimes heard it in the context of believers bearing various trials and difficulties. We say that the hardship is "their cross to bear." Maybe that's part of it, but I don't think that's really it. In the context of the verse, Jesus has just predicted His death and resurrection.

            And He said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself
            and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life
            will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
            (Luke 9:23-24)

When you think about what Christ did when He bore the cross and died on it, He was paying for our sin. He was killing our sin and corruption so that we could live in freedom and righteousness through Him. He made a way for our redemption from slavery and forgiveness of all our sins.

Wow.

But what does it mean for us to take up a cross and follow Christ every day? Simply this: our old selves were put to death on the cross. Now we must continue to kill our old, selfish, corrupted selves and live in the righteousness that has been freely given to us. When Jesus tells me to take up my cross daily, He's telling me to die to my self, die to my selfish desires, die to my comfort and security, and seek life in Him.

Now, I'm not at all suggesting that we in some way contribute to our salvation. Not at all. I'm not even saying that we work sanctification in ourselves. It is God who justifies, and it is God who sanctifies. He does the work of grace in us. Yet, as He works, we are to strive toward Jesus. We are to fight to destroy our idols and pursue righteousness, like good soldiers. We are to fight the battle because we are already more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

Besides, don't we know that all the glittering idols we chase are nothing but ashes? Nothing satisfies, nothing brings joy, except Christ.To pursue Him is truly to pursue what will bring us joy, satisfaction, and peace.

This is my struggle. I am so easily distracted by the attractions of the world and so easily swayed by the desires of my old self. I seek life in my idols and find old death and emptiness.

So every single day, the cross I must (but don't always choose to) bear is the death of my old self. I must submit the desires and hopes of my flesh to Christ, no matter how much I want to hold on to them. Because, just like Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into glory with the Father, death to our old selves means experiencing a life in Christ that is filled to the brim and overflowing with joy. And when we meet Him, there will be inexpressible and everlasting glory.