Take Up Your Cross Daily but What Does that Mean?
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” Luke 14: 27.
Doing what’s right and being obedient is the cross we must bear to be a disciple of Jesus. It’s a cross because being obedient and doing what’s right is often a threat to our well-being.
To read the whole passage for context, click here.
A Threat to our Well-Being
So, to do so looks like it will result in loss or harm of some sort. And that’s why it requires trust. In fact, it WILL result in loss or harm unless God intervenes. And of course, He will as long as we’re walking in obedience.
Tithing when you don’t have enough money to make ends meet is a good example.
From a purely human perspective, obedience to this principle will bring about even more shortfalls and poverty. So that’s why it requires trust on our part to do it.
We Must Believe God will Show Up
We must believe that God will show up for us if we’re obedient. And enable us to pay the bills now.
Staying in a difficult marriage for righteousness sake is another example. Our needs aren’t being met. We feel lonely and alone. We don’t have hardly any of the positive aspects of marriage. But all of the bad.
Our one and only earthly life is ebbing away in this miserable marriage. And there is no hope in sight. It’s adding up to more loss and misery by the day. (Can you tell I speak from experience?).
But as we continue to reveal our trust in God through obedience, He will make a way for us. Not only are we becoming strong and Christ-like in it, but He promises to give us our hearts desire Psalm 37:4.
And enable us to somehow get our needs met in the meantime as we continue trusting His plan.
Since doing what’s right is a threat to our well-being, it is death. Not only to sin, but to our needs and ourselves as well. Sin is always an attempt to meet our own needs and take care of ourselves apart from God.
Take Up Your Cross Daily and Trust God
By contrast, being obedient is a threat precisely because unless God meets our needs and takes care of us in our stead, we will be left with unmet needs. And be neglected.
Every time we choose to do what’s right, especially if it’s difficult, we are carrying our cross and following Jesus. We are dying to sin, needs and self. We are doing that which to the worldly mind looks foolish and counterproductive.
That’s why we can’t do it without trust.
To read another post related to Take Up Your Cross Daily but What Does that Mean, see Many Are the Afflictions of His Children.