Take Up Your Cross

(Winks, 2016)

Jesus commands that if we are to follow him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross. Considering what happened to the crucified Lord on the last day of his life, this sounds like an excruciating task. Yet, Jesus expects this of us, and as his followers, we are to follow in the footsteps of the Lord. So what does this mean for us today? Do we need to head to the local hardware store to buy lumber, build our own cross, and carry it around town? Probably not.

When Jesus spoke in Matthew 16:24, his words were likely just as shocking to the disciples as it is to us today. It was a prophecy of how Jesus would be led to his own death. The disciples had yet to have seen the cross of Christ in action, so they were unsure of what Jesus was talking about. However, we now know that when Christ physically carried his cross and died on it, he displayed an ultimate act of submission to God. This is what it means to take up your cross. It is the daily submission to God, in spite of what we may want to do. Galatians 5 tells us that we are in constant battle between flesh and spirit; by denying the flesh and feeding the spirit, we take up our cross and submit to God.

Here are some practical ways we can follow Christ in this command:

1. Practice humility

   1. One of the best ways that we can submit to God is by practicing humility in our lives. Humility is defined by the Miriam-Webster dictionary as "freedom from pride or arrogance : the quality or state of being humble". When we place our pride to a secondary position, we are able to see an increasing value in others. We can understand that we are bringing honor and glory to God by placing others before ourselves.

   2. Luke 14:11, Ephesians 4:2, 1 Peter 5:5

2. Deny your worldly desires

   1. As we move through life, our spirit will constantly be in conflict with our flesh. When we reject the sinful things that our flesh desires, we are able to display that God has better things in store for us. Desires of the flesh can be powerful, but God has more power than those desires. When we go to the Father as we deny our own sinful desires, it brings Him glory.

   2. Titus 2:12, 1 John 2:15-17, Galatians 5:13-21

3. Serve

   1. A practical act of humility is serving others. When we serve, we place ourselves in a position for humility. We are able to recognize the value in other people, and follow in the footsteps of Christ.

   2. 1 Peter 4:10-11, John 13:1-6

4. Create space for God

   1. Set aside time daily to commit to the Lord. I recognize that people are more busy in this generation than ever before, and the demands and pressures to always be working are ever-present. With this in mind, sacrifice a portion of that time each day to the Lord. Engage with the Word, pray, meditate, worship; the list goes on and on. When we put aside our most important things for God, we will find that He will become our most important thing.

   2. Matthew 6:6, Mark 1:35

5. Confession

   1. Confession is an essential part of the Christian faith. Confession is acknowledging the sin in our lives, and sharing it with God, and other believers. It can be uncomfortable to confess sin, but when you do, real life change begins to happen! When I confess, the people I am confessing to are 100% committed to helping me, praying for me, and keeping me accountable. It only takes submitting your sins to the Lord and to others in order for this to happen.

   2. James 5:16, Psalm 32:5-6, Acts 8

6. Boldly stand for truth

   1. This last point is a little bit different. As Christians, we believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of the Lord. It is true, all of it. When we stand for that truth of the Gospel, sometimes we will be looked at differently thanks to the perception of Christians in the world. We will be judged, rejected, and sometimes persecuted for our faith (see links below). When we are standing for truth of God in the face of rejection, we are doing as Christ did. We are taking up our cross and submitting to God. It is so important that we are doing so in love. When we are judged, we will not judge. When we are rejected, we will not reject others. When we are persecuted, we will not persecute. This is the crux of Christ's teaching: love. Individuals who spread hate and enact violence and identify as Christians have missed the mark. So, boldly stand for the truth of the Bible, and do so in love. When we share the radical, life changing news of the Gospel, we do so in love.

This is the Christian calling: to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus Christ. When we do, God will radically change our lives. If you don't believe me, check out the testimonies here on our website. Be encouraged that we are children of God, and he saved us through Jesus. When we respond with taking up our cross daily, we glorify the Lord!

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Resources:

• https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/july/christian-persecution-internally-displaced-persons-india.html

• https://nypost.com/2023/12/30/news/nigeria-christmas-massacre-sees-over-100-christians-dead-killed-for-sport/

• https://www.opendoorsus.org/en-US/persecution/persecution-trends/#:~:text=4%2C998%20Christians%20murdered,faith%20in%202023%2C%20on%20average.

References

Winks, Chad. In Agony He Prayed. March 1, 2016.