Bearing Our Cross

What exactly do you think the term “bearing our cross” means? Some say it means we must face our difficulties as Jesus did and carry our cross bravely. Some say we must suffer with Him, therefore that is why we must face tragedy and heartaches, as nothing comes without a price. People with disabilities often consider the condition their cross to bear. Let’s see what God’s Word says about it….
In Mark 10: 21, Jesus says, “take up the cross and follow me.”
Luke 9: 23: “And he said unto them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 14: 27 “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
1 Cor. 1: 18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
Phil. 2: 8 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Hebrews 12: 2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Did you ever wonder what a typical day in the life of Jesus was like? Before He seriously started being about His Father’s business, His days might have been pretty much like ours in that He awoke at a certain time, went to work at His earthly father’s carpentry business, ate three meals a day, spent time studying and learning all He could about His Heavenly Father. We know that at the age of 12, Jesus knew, or was beginning to learn, what the reason for His life, His destiny, was to be.
Once He started His ministry of sharing God’s love and His message with others and people began to realize who He was….the Messiah, whom they’d waited for….His life became one of celebrity in one sense, yet like that of a fugitive from justice in another. He was both loved by some and hated by others. He openly preached to the multitudes who followed Him around, many hoping just to see Him or touch Him in order to be saved or healed.
Many times, He had to flee from the Jews who became more and more determined to destroy Him by proving He was guilty of blaspheme….or just plain crazy. Often He sought refuge from the crowds in order to pray and have His spirit of hope renewed.
Jesus knew that His final human act was to be death on the cross. This he did willingly, but not without much prayer and anguish. God, in the form of a man, humbled himself and became obedient unto death. After being falsely accused, beaten and shamed, He carried His cross up the hill where nails were driven through his hands and feet, then the weight of the whole world’s sins were placed on His shoulders. The weight of those sins were what caused His death. In that moment, the power of God was made known and a pathway to heaven revealed for us all to follow.
If you’re dragging your cross of guilt along with you on this path, lay it down…. He took our guilt and made us free. If it’s a cross of suffering that weighs you down, let it go….He suffered for you….for all of us, so we wouldn’t have to. Our cross is not a burden, we laid those at His feet when we accepted the salvation He offered.
To take up our cross and follow Him simply means to tell others about His wonderful love and how it has changed your life. We are to forget about (deny) ourselves and take up our cross daily….wherever we go, we are to tell the story of how we were saved. Everybody’s story is different so everybody’s cross is different, but we carry them for the same purpose. It’s a cross of truth, freedom, salvation and unconditional love.
Just as Jesus did, we will meet opposition along our path. Haters, scoffers and those who wish to put an end to Christianity will do everything they can to dampen our spirits and prove us wrong. Also like Jesus, we will conquer the enemy by staying steadfast in our faith and asking God’s help as we bring the promise of hope to an unsaved world. Let us take up our cross and follow Him. To some it is foolishness, but to us who are saved, it is the power of God!