Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. - Matthew 16:24-25
The cross a disciple of Christ carries is not the common hardship all of the humanity suffers be it old age, bad health, job loss, an ungrateful child, or an unfaithful spouse.
The cross a disciple carries are the deliberate hardships, the deliberate crosses of self-denial placed on the hard roads which lead to the narrow gate. Enduring hardship and suffering for Christ's sake, your family's sake and for the sake of the needy stranger He'll place before you.
Christians endure without complaint, regret, applause, or self-congratulatory vanity. This cross is not some begrudging, sorrowful or desperate martyr's lifestyle to earn a way into Heaven. It is the evidence of our faith and trust - and the endurance produces a character and joy that follow such hardships for our King.
The Christian lives to show the world what Christ is like. Like Christ, he speaks the truth, he teaches the lost, he feeds, he heals, and he suffers that others might repent, see, and be saved.
Walk the hard, joyful, glorious path following Jesus to your eternal reward.
Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it. -Matthew 7:13-14
Comments