Take Up My Cross - Luke 9:22-24

 

Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. saying, “It is necessary that the Son of Man suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.” For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it. Luke 9:22-24

Being a believer has not always been a euphoric sled ride for me nor a walk on a sunlit beach. And maybe I thought it would be, or it was supposed to be, but if I thought those things, I wasn’t really paying attention. 

Being a believer involves discipline. 

And I’ve been disciplined. Umm… Sort of. 

This is the part where I need to be careful, careful in what I say. This is the get-a-speck-out-of-your-brother’s eye, get-the-plank-out-of-your-own-eye part. 

Being a disciple of Jesus, a follower, is not about hitting all of the boxes on the checklist. I did this. I did that. It’s about a relationship.

When I was a child, my mom, in the context of our relationship would ask things like, “Did you take out the trash?” 

Well, I wasn’t very good about getting that done before she asked me. 

I wasn’t very disciplined. 

And it made her happy when I remembered to do it. 

In the context of knowing each other, and she being my mom, she asked me to do things; I was in deep training for life. I was supposed to do things in this relationship. She loved me and I loved her and I did things. But our relationship was not defined by all of those things I was supposed to do. 

In my relationship with God, I am supposed to do things. But He loves me even when I’m a mess. He helps me learn how to be more disciplined. 

What I’m supposed to do and what you’re supposed to do aren’t exactly the same thing, but some of them are the same. 

For instance I must pray. All believers must. But how long is not defined by scripture. I don’t ever like it when someone tries to guilt me about how little I pray. They don’t know my circumstances, right? 

But most Christians I talk to would like to have a richer prayer life. They desire it. They love Jesus. They want to talk to Him. But it does take discipline. 

Here’s one: I read the bible every day. Four or five chapters or more. I love doing it. It is not a burden. But I know a young mom who just had a baby who wakes her and her husband up every few hours. The idea of me telling her to read her bible more is downright pushy. She must listen to  the Holy Spirit to figure out what is hers to do.  

What I do know is this: even that new mom must take up her cross daily and follow Jesus. And probably a lot of that cross bearing has to do with the sacrifices she is making for her family. But I also know that it’s very hard for one believer to tell another believer how exactly to do that.

I know it usually involves taking time to do things, things like prayer, bible reading, encouraging believers, and living a holy life. 

But for that new mom to find five minutes to listen to a passage of scripture, might be all she has. And that might be sacrificial. 

And for me to read the bible for five minutes only might be lazy because my life does not demand as much from me today. 

Have I benefitted from leaders in the church encouraging me to be more disciplined? Yes! 

The word is encouraging. We can and we must encourage. It’s a gift and a discipline to be encouraging! It takes thought. “How can I encourage my brother or sister without burdening them with something unnecessary?”

Jesus, in this instance, told His disciples that he was going to die and be raised up on the third day. And that they needed to take up their cross DAILY. 

Being a Christian at the very least involves a daily discipline. 

I can do this for today. I can pray today. I can intercede for a brother. I can read my bible. I can call someone up on the phone. Today. I can share my faith with an unbeliever. 

Those are ideas. Those are things many believers want in their lives. 

In this passage, Jesus doesn’t say how his disciples are to take up their cross. Notice He doesn’t tell them to take up His cross, just theirs. 

What I’m sure of is this: it takes some kind of discipline. And most disciplines start with baby steps. Five minutes. And five turns into fifty through love, joy, and even conviction. 

I love the Lord. I want to be like Him. I must take up my cross daily. My life is His already. 

Lord, teach me how to take up my cross daily. I have no desire to leave anything out that you want. I want to see the works that you put before me. Your yoke is easy and your burden is light. I know You have empowered me to do what you ask. Teach me to be that man. Today. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.