My Cross…
“And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”
Mark 8:34-36
A few days ago, I started reading a book called “Signature Sins” by Michael Mangis. I’ll be honest, I read the first few pages and had to stop because of the deep conviction that came from the words he wrote. The book as a whole is dealing with the concept of our sins that aren’t necessarily public and seen on the outside, but those internal sins that we tend to forget about…things that influence our motives, actions, thinking, and even the way we interact with others. Talk about being laid completely bare and exposed…but when I think about it, the reality is that I should always feel this exposed because of how much God knows about me. He knows the deepest darkest things about me…He knows my black and ugly heart…BUT by His grace, He doesn’t turn His back and just leave me in that state. No…MY God works with me and IN me to transform me to be like Him. Sanctification should humble us as a constant reminder of God’s deep and endless love and grace.
It’s this concept of becoming “like Jesus” that has built the foundation for how I am reading the rest of the book and thinking through the concepts presented. Mangis brought up–in one, small, easy-to-gloss-over sentence–the words of Jesus to His disciples about taking up their crosses to follow Him. So often when a Christian from middle-class suburbia mentions bearing a cross, it’s in reference to suffering and sacrificing for ministry. Think about it…who have you heard talk about it? It’s usually the older people in church who always complain about the young people, but just found out they have to chaperone the youth group’s annual amusement park trip…the missionary who is living in a hut in some village in Africa without indoor plumbing…the average college student who “sacrifices” and “trusts God” by taking out loans to attend a CHRISTIAN University as opposed to the community college near home which would save them thousands of dollars…your friend who is complaining of a person in their life who is always trying their patience…for me it’s living in a ministry house along with a pet cat that I’m allergic to and highly dislike…Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying all of those things are illegitimate, or that everyone who does them has wrong motives, but you hopefully see my point. Honestly, when I put myself in each of those positions, I definitely get this picture in mind of me carrying a cross…it’s for the good of the Kingdom, right?
As Christians, we associate a cross with suffering and sacrifice in the context of ministry and general discomfort in life. But my question is this, are we focusing on sacrificing things that will make a difference eternally? Are we bearing the true crosses that Christ has called us to? What …so if we are to follow after Him and to be “like Him” could it really be as simple as sacrificing a few pennies to support a ministry, or giving up a life of comfort to minister to natives in the unreached parts of the world, or monetarily supporting a child who lives hundreds of thousands of miles across the ocean from you? Or is it possible that Jesus meant more with those words? What about denying yourself?
The cross itself is just an altar on which to sacrifice…the one who chooses to carry it chooses to the sacrifice. And what is sacrificed on a cross? Yourself…in the most human, sinful form…impulses…desires…thoughts…actions…Carrying a cross is about sacrifice, and sacrifice is about losing yourself…denying everything about your very nature…the core of your humanity…putting to death those secret sins and no one knows about but you and God…crucifying everything about yourself unto the only one that can take you and make you anything worthwhile…We’re called to WAR against and DEFEAT one of our closest friends, but one of our most dangerous enemies: OURSELVES.
“And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”
Jesus gave ALL of Himself…Did He not call us to the same?
Source: Total Transparency