Luke 9:23 - Taking Up Your Cross Daily.
Luke 9:23 (NLT) Then he said to the crowd,
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must
turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross
daily, and follow me.
COMMENTARY PEARL
We seem to have lost the meaning of the
cross today. It has become a mere religious
symbol, an icon shrouded in religiosity.
But in the first century when someone was
carrying a cross through the streets, it meant only
one thing: that person was going to die. So,
when people heard Jesus say, If any of you
wants to be my follower, you must give up your own
way, take up your cross daily, and follow me,
they would have easily understood what He meant.
Sometimes we think of a cross to bear as
a trying relationship, a health problem, a
challenging job, or some other tough circumstance. Those
may be difficulties in life. But they are not
our crosses to bear.
The cross we must bear is the same for
each of us. It speaks of dying to ourselves. And
what that means, simply, is laying ourselves at
the feet of Jesus and saying, I want Your
will more than my own.
Of course, when we talk about bearing the
cross and living a crucified life, it sounds
morbid and unappealing because we have a false
concept of what it means.
We think it means isolating ourselves in
an ivory tower somewhere and never having fun,
smiling, or laughing. That is how we imagine
ourselves living the crucified life.
But is that what it really means?
Writing to the churches in Galatia, the
apostle Paul said, My old self has been crucified
with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body
by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20 NLT).
As Jesus said, if you want to find your
life, then lose it (see Luke 9:24). Thus, when we
live the crucified life, it isnt a morbid,
miserable experience. It doesnt mean that weve
ruined our lives when we start walking with God.
Rather, its when life begins to really
happen, when life becomes full and meaningful.
Because we want Gods will more than our own,
well have the abundant life that Jesus promised,
(see John 10:10). Were living life as it was
meant to be lived. It is life to the fullest.
Samuel Rutherford, a seventeenth-century
theologian, said, The cross of Christ is the sweetest
burden that ever I bore. It is such a burden as
wings are to a bird, or sails to a ship, to carry
me forward to my desired haven.
And he was right. The cross of Christ is
no burden because Gods will is better than
our own.
Are you bearing the cross and following
Jesus? For some, this could mean suffering
persecution. For others, it could mean a major change of
lifestyle. It could cost us friends. But we will live
life as it was meant to be lived: in the perfect
will of God.
So lets commit ourselves to being
disciples of Jesus Christ - not mere fair-weather
followers, but true disciples. [By Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
God has given us the power of choice; it
is ours to exercise. We cannot change our
hearts, we cannot control our thoughts, our
impulses, our affections. We cannot make ourselves
pure, fit for Gods service. But we can choose
to serve God, we can give Him our will; then He
will work in us to will and to do according to
His good pleasure. Thus our whole nature will be
brought under the control of Christ.
Through the right exercise of the will,
an entire change may be made in the life. By
yielding up the will to Christ, we ally ourselves
with divine power. We receive strength from above
to hold us steadfast. A pure and noble life, a
life of victory over appetite and lust, is
possible to everyone who will unite his weak,
wavering human will to the omnipotent, unwavering
will of God. MH176, 177
You need to drink daily at the fountain of
truth, that you may understand the secret of
pleasure and joy in the Lord. But you must remember
that your will is the spring of all your actions.
This will, that forms so important a factor in
the character of man, was at the Fall given into
the control of Satan; and he has ever since been
working in man to will and to do of his own
pleasure, but to the utter ruin and misery of man. But
the infinite sacrifice of God in giving Jesus,
His beloved Son, to become a sacrifice for sin,
enables Him to say, without violating one principle
of His government: Yield yourself up to Me;
give Me that will; take it from the control of
Satan, and I will take possession of it; then I can
work in you to will and to do of My good
pleasure. When He gives you the mind of Christ, your
will becomes as His will, and your character is
transformed to be like Christs character. Is it your
purpose to do Gods will? Do you wish to obey the
Scriptures? If any man will come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
Me. 5T515
ILLUSTRATIONS
The gospel of Jesus is simple, but that
doesn't mean it's easy. As Luke records, Jesus said
we must be willing to give up our lives daily
to follow Him. There's no other plan. No
step-by-step directions to follow, no self-help book, no
stairway to heaven. It's just the dying, the grave,
and the rising. Day after day after day.
Once when I was grousing about something
that annoyed me, my mentor Roy said, "It's just
another thing to die to." We laughed but then talked
seriously about how that's really the attitude faith
in Jesus requires. Once I started using Roy's
mantra, I found myself saying it several times a
day. Turns out there are plenty of opportunities.
Everywhere we look there's another thing to die to:
another hurt or frustration, another door in the
face, another bout of anger or pride, another pang
of jealousy. All things must be put to death in
me that Christ may live.
The beautiful irony is that it's in those
very deaths that life is found. It's where true
power lies - true joy. Because the same God who
brought Jesus out of the grave reaches down into the
tombs where I reside and delivers me from the
clutches of my own darkness and fear, my own bad
choices, my own laziness, prejudice, and pain. Each
time I am buried with Christ, He raises me to
walk in resurrected life. Old things have passed
away; He is doing something new! by Gwen Ford
Faulkenberry
Faith Step: When faced with moments in
which you must surrender your will today, say it
with me: Just another thing to die to." Then
wait for the rising. [Mornings With Jesus 2021
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
Like many other people, I enjoy social
media, television, reading, and talking on the
phone. Until recently, the first thing I did every
morning was look at social media and see what was
going on with my friends. I enjoyed sending
birthday and anniversary greetings. Afterward, I
would say my prayers. But I began to I realize, I
was spending more time posting on Facebook than
talking to Jesus or reading His Word.
The things I enjoy are not sinful. Work,
family, relationships, and hobbies are good things.
But sin comes creeping in when we make these
things a priority over Jesus. The first commandment
says for us to have no other gods before Him. I
had literally put my entertainment before Jesus.
Matthew 6:33 (ESV) instructs us, But seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and
all these things will be added to you.
When I evaluated my time, I realized that
all of my time was really His time. I rearranged
my priorities and put Him first.
Since I have reorganized my priorities, I
begin each day by praying and connecting with
Jesus. I read my Bible and devotions daily and
listen to Christian music while Im working or
driving. Throughout the day, I talk to Jesus. Since
Jesus has become first in my life, everything else
is falling into place. His peace is filling my
heart. I still enjoy Facebook and chatting with
friends, but I dont let them rule my life and
time. by Katie Minter Jones
Faith Step: Evaluate how much time you
spend doing other things and if Jesus is your
priority. [Mornings With Jesus 2020 Devotional by
Guideposts and Zondervan]
CLOSING THOUGHT
If we are Christ's, our thoughts are with
Him, and our sweetest thoughts are of Him. All
we have and are is consecrated to Him. Let's
thank Jesus this month for all that He has done
for us. Let us seek to bear His image, breathe
His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all
things. Pastor Arthur Gibbs
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Luke 9:23 - Our Valentine to God.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220214-1126.html
Luke 9:23 - FOLLOWING JESUS.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210410-0922.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
