In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up His cross and follow me.” I have heard that all of my life. Growing up in the church means that you hear a lot of scriptures, A LOT of times. It is one that I have quoted to people and one that I have even put on my refrigerator. I have known in my head what this means, but recently, God showed it to my spirit.
I was talking to God on the way home from church the other day. We had just had a great service where Jesus’ name was lifted high. Passion was stirring in me and I wanted so badly for God to have every area of my life. The reality is though, that certain areas are always hard to give up, and just because we say that we want God to have them, doesn’t mean we won’t snatch them back when it gets uncomfortable. (Anyone know what I’m talking about?) Being aware of this, I openly confessed to God, “Lord, I know that until I am made perfect in heaven, I have this flesh that is bent toward sin. I hate it, but I have to carry it with me, so would you please help me?”
A few minutes later, Mt. 16:24 came to my mind. I thought about it for a few minutes. I mean, I REALLY thought about it. This is what we call “meditating” on scripture. Focused, directed thought, put toward understanding God’s Word is usually always rewarded with a greater knowledge and understanding, making the words more than just words, but life to us. This is what the Lord showed me.
Have you ever carried something really heavy? I don’t mean for a second, but for a sustained amount of time? I will never forget the time that I “tried” to carry in a new couch with my husband that we had just bought. It was just a loveseat actually, how heavy could it be? BUT, it was a loveseat with recliners, making it twice as heavy as it looked. As soon as we got it out of the truck and started walking, I knew I was in trouble. After what felt like ages, we finally got to the door, and realized that we would have to flip the couch on its side to get it in. I will spare you the rest of the story and just tell you……it didn’t end well.
When we are carrying something heavy, all of our attention is focused on just that, how heavy it is! We aren’t thinking about what we will eat for lunch, or what time we are going to go to bed. Nothing but the weight we are carrying.
Let’s look back at the verse. When Jesus says that we are to take up our cross and follow Him, how in the world did I ever miss the fact that it would be heavy? But here is the beauty of it. When I choose to pick up my cross and follow after Jesus, my mind is going to be so intently alert at the assignment of following Him, that I will have little attention to give anything else.
This brought me so much freedom because now, I saw the answer to how I had to handle my flesh. Instead of carrying around the arduous task of trying so hard not to sin, I now saw that when my mind is intent on carrying my cross and following Jesus, I just won’t sin.
Now it would be nice if our Christian walk could be like everything else in our culture today, quick and convenient! Put in your hour on Sunday morning, pray before dinner, maybe read a verse or two a couple of times a week, and viola, life is easy as pie! We have bought into this lie for way to long my friends, myself included!
Although completely worth it, carrying our cross means denying ourselves. Denying that very strong fleshly, childish, selfish nature that we all have with us in these bodies. And sometimes, it hurts. So don’t think that it is lightly that I say, “I just won’t sin if I am carrying my cross.” But, if I am carrying my cross and following after Jesus, carefully placing my feet in the dusty imprints of my leader, cautious to not get too far behind and diligent in recording His every move, my flesh won’t be afforded much thought. Oh the victory that comes through that.
So what does this look like? It begins with conversing with God through prayer, reading the Bible, meditating on it and memorizing it. Unless we know who Jesus is, how can we follow Him? I promise you this, (even though I may have just freaked you out,) you will find that carrying your cross is not only the heaviest thing you have ever carried, but also the one thing that you would never dream of putting down. Psalm 34:15 tells us that “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry.” Rich blessing follows us when we decide to forsake all for the glory of living for Him.
Mariah
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