Take up your Cross and follow Me

[Bluelion]

Jesus spoke those words to us. I have thought about it what did he meant take up our Cross. I understand follow him. I have heard preachers say it means are own suffering, our suffering for Christ. Ok we do suffer in serving others for the Lord ok that can be part of it, but is that all. I don't think so. God lit a light bulb in side me a few minutes ago. The thought came as this.

Maybe what God was talking about was nailing our own self to our own Cross. Maybe what he meant is to nail our will to our cross, nail our desires to our cross. Nail our freedom to our cross. Nail everything we are to the cross. Lay down our old lives, and take up our new life. What does that mean? We must be willing to become the person God wants us to be. We must be willing to do the Lords will, but more than that we must lay down our will and take His up. We must realize we can do nothing. We can not change ourselves, we are completely dependent on God. We must let God change us, be willing to be change and pray for it, desire that. We must realize we have no power, as the Lord says power belongs to Him. We only have authority in Christ, we have nothing separate from him, but with Him we have all things.

In this life we are independent we do what we want, a persons own will. People think they own things, they have power and are responsible for their success. What did Jesus say to the rich man sell everything you own and follow me. The man could not do it, why? Because he was living in his old self. He had not nailed him self to his cross for God. Realizing you own nothing, that God created everything and it all belongs to him. Realizing you are not powerful and God made you who you are. Laying down your will, your self and becoming the man God is making you into. Now that is giving everything you own. It is an easy thing to say, but to really mean it and see it is another thing. Once you nail your self to your cross. You will pray every day because you know everything you have is because of God. Its scary thinking anything you have at any time can be taken away, but it is the Truth. Why live a lie. That rich man may have lost his soul, but he was rich for another day, maybe a year, maybe a few. What was the point of it if he lost everything including his soul.

Did Jesus tell us to do this. i think so because he said give to everyone who ask, if someone borrows something don't ask for it back. Give freely as you have received. If you have nailed your self to your cross you realize nothing is yours anyways. So it is easier to give. If you believe you own something you are attached to that right? in some way. If you believe you never owned something is it not easier to let it go. Do not think this is easy for me because it is not. i find my self saying we have so little i can not spare it, but its not mine to start with but Gods. God provides everything for us, everything we have is because of him. If he ask we should give this to someone who are we to say no?

Nail everything we are to our own cross, for Jesus. and follow him.

I was learning all this while typing as God often teaches me that way, but i believe there is Truth in what was written in this post.

thanks for letting me speak, i learned something, i hope you found the truth in it as well.

Peace and Love
blu

 

[Bella Vita]

I heard someone preach on this and they explained it very well. In Jesus's time the cross stood for execution it was a horrible way to die commonly used for criminals. So the equivalent of that today would be the electric chair. So basically Jesus is telling these men pick up your electric chair and follow me. He is warning them they will die painfully and brutally if they go with him. He is telling them do not take this lightly if you can't come now and not look back don't come at all. If you can not handle it then stay behind because the road you walk with me will be a rough one. He wouldn't even let them say goodbye to their family and told one he could't go to his father's funeral. Following Christ is serious business and should come before anything and everything else even family. Sadly today we don't take it as serious as we should. And following Jesus's warning every one of those men met a life of imprisonment, beating, and horrible deaths all for the sake of their faith and spreading the gospel. Part of me wishes we didn't have religious freedom in this country it would make us take our faith more seriously instead of being so luke warm.

 

[Bluelion]

I heard someone preach on this and they explained it very well. In Jesus's time the cross stood for execution it was a horrible way to die commonly used for criminals. So the equivalent of that today would be the electric chair. So basically Jesus is telling these men pick up your electric chair and follow me. He is warning them they will die painfully and brutally if they go with him. He is telling them do not take this lightly if you can't come now and not look back don't come at all. If you can not handle it then stay behind because the road you walk with me will be a rough one. He wouldn't even let them say goodbye to their family and told one he could't go to his father's funeral. Following Christ is serious business and should come before anything and everything else even family. Sadly today we don't take it as serious as we should. And following Jesus's warning every one of those men met a life of imprisonment, beating, and horrible deaths all for the sake of their faith and spreading the gospel. Part of me wishes we didn't have religious freedom in this country it would make us take our faith more seriously instead of being so luke warm.

I understand what your saying, but the Cross is more than just a brutal death. It is the place where Jesus took on the sins of the world where he paid our debt. Where he nail are sins to the Cross. It is more than just saying away to be executed. I think there is more to it.

 

[Bella Vita]

I understand what your saying, but the Cross is more than just a brutal death. It is the place where Jesus took on the sins of the world where he paid our debt. Where he nail are sins to the Cross. It is more than just saying away to be executed. I think there is more to it.

Of course it is no one is saying it is not. But in that very moment those men had no idea who he was they still had their doubts. In that moment he was telling them this is serious you will die for this come now or not at all. The cross as we know it would reveal itself in time. Jesus was upfront with them about their fate from the very beginning. The cross was a symbol of death in that time it did not yet have the meaning it does to us now remember he did not get crucified for another 3 years after this. Crucifixion is a shocking metaphor for discipleship. A disciple must deny himself (die to self-will), take up his cross (embrace God’s will, no matter the cost), and follow Christ.

 

[Bluelion]

Of course it is no one is saying it is not. But in that very moment those men had no idea who he was they still had their doubts. In that moment he was telling them this is serious you will die for this come now or not at all. The cross as we know it would reveal itself in time. Jesus was upfront with them about their fate from the very beginning. The cross was a symbol of death in that time it did not yet have the meaning it does to us now remember he did not get crucified for another 3 years after this. Crucifixion is a shocking metaphor for discipleship. A disciple must deny himself (die to self-will), take up his cross (embrace God’s will, no matter the cost), and follow Christ.

exactly

and thank you for putting it that way. I had it Just could not put into words which you just did beautifully.

Peace and Love
blu

 

[rstrats]

Bella Vita,
re: "So the equivalent of that today would be the electric chair. So basically Jesus is telling these men pick up your electric chair and follow me."



I wonder what making the sign of the electric chair would look like? And would there be electric chairs on top of churches?