Carry Your Cross
Carry your Cross and follow Jesus.
And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Wish you a warm and blessed day!
Do you want to be a disciple of our Lord Jesus? It is no wonder, when offered everyone would gladly accept the discipleship of Christ. But the moment when one is asked to carry their own cross first, the whole scenario abruptly comes to a grinding halt in bewilderment. Neither the discipleship is something that can be claimed by showing our worthiness or goodness according to our own sight. More importantly our Lord Jesus clearly makes it a point in the verse (Luke 14:27) that we cannot become His disciple without carrying our cross and following Him.
Firstly either people may associate the cross with pain and suffering or may liken it to being holy by disassociating themselves from their loved ones or things. The Romans considered the cross to be a symbol of death. Though one can associate the cross with pain and suffering, but it is not the whole thing about. Also it is something more important than trials and afflictions. It is denying ourselves all those things that we desire and consider important. As another verse according to Luke 9:23 says:
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
As the above verse says, let us deny ourselves by putting to death all of our own plans and desires. And then take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. Consequently we may encounter pain, sufferings, afflictions or persecutions because of our choice of making Jesus as our Lord. Take heart, for our Lord Jesus makes it light and gives strength to endure. Therefore, let us fully turn and submit to His plans. As it is not our plans that needs to be established but the plans according to the will of Heavenly Father.
Finally, let us carry our cross and follow our Lord. In Jesus matchless name. Amen.