“Take up your cross and follow Me.”
Then Jesus told them what they could expect for themselves: “Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat-I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, My way, to finding yourself, your true self.”
This “Get-aCROSS” weekly thought has a two-fold meaning.
First of all, it’s getting the message across in a clear and precise way.
But secondly, it’s to challenge and encourage folks to realise that one can be a believer without carrying a cross, but one cannot be a follower!
All the same, it’s interesting when some folks see the “cross” as a load they must carry in their lives. For instance, a bereavement, a physical illness, an estranged relationship, an irksome job, and so on!!
Consequently, as a result of such stress, these folks become fully submerged in a pity party, often saying with pride, “That’s my cross I have to carry.”
But what does it really mean to “take up your cross and follow Me?”
Jesus said, “If you don’t go all the way with Me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve Me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to Me, you’ll find both yourself and Me.”
Jesus is asking us to say no to ourselves. This means to accept our inability to carry any cross in our own strength.
But hey! We’re not on our own!
It’s when we fully understand this, knowing that Jesus is wanting to help us through thick and thin – then we begin to learn how to follow Him.
In light of this, we develop a fresh understanding of the meaning of “Take up your cross and follow Me.”
It’s a call to absolute surrender.
Paul Oakley, the contemporary worship song-writer grasped a little of this when he wrote, “It’s all about You, Jesus; And all this is for You, For Your glory and Your fame. It’s not about me; As if You should do things my way, You alone are God and I surrender.”
If you forget about yourself and look to Jesus, you’ll find both yourself and Him.
How to become a Christian – Jesus Lifeline.
Further Readings:
Matthew 10:
Luke 9:
You Tube:
Hemsworth Christian Fellowship:
The “Get-aCROSS” weekly thought has been written in conjunction with Hemsworth Christian Fellowship.
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Hemsworth Christian Fellowship are a group of people on a journey together, who desire to be a people with a passion for God, a place with a passion for people, for the glory of God.
Paul Oakley:
A Christian singer and song-writer.