Take Up Your Cross

Scripture:

Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV)

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Devotional:

We are told to give our troubles and burdens to Jesus.  Through Christ we can manage through anything.  We are also told that God will not give us more than what we can handle.  All of this is true.  God will be with us no matter what.  In our troubles, trials, and tribulations we do in fact need to turn to Christ. 

However, too many times we think that by accepting Christ as our savior and trusting in Him will make all the bad go away.  Jesus becomes a magic genie in a bottle to push our troubles away.  But this is not the case.  Just because I accept Jesus in my heart tonight doesn’t mean it all goes away tomorrow.  Jesus is not a genie that magically makes it all go away.  In fact He even tells us to “…take up his cross and follow me” Matthew 16:24 ESV. 

Our troubles will not just disappear.  We still have to face them.  So how do we manage or get through them?  How long do we pay for our past mistakes?  How can we survive?  The simple answer and one often heard is to believe in Jesus.  We simply give it all to Him and trust in Him.  We read our Bibles and we pray.  But there are times when this just doesn’t seem to be enough.  So what do we do?  I wish I had all the answers but I struggle with this at times myself.  All I can say is that reading the Bible, praying, and trusting in Jesus is a must.  We can also bear one another’s burdens.  We can lift one another up and offer support and aid.  We can give encouragement and hold each other accountable.  Through our family, the body of Christ, we have experience, knowledge, and wisdom at our finger tips.  We just have to share it. 

I hear people say “I don’t need to go to church to be saved.”  I agree you don’t have to go to Church to have a good and strong relationship with God.  But look at what you are missing out on.  Look at what you are denying someone else what they need.  Going to church is more than fellowship, praising and worshiping.  It is the ultimate support group.  It is a family to share life with.  It is what God gave us to manage through the difficult times, and to share in the joyful ones.

Jesus doesn’t promise a carefree life of ease.  But He does promise that we are never alone.  He will see us through.  We just have to trust and go where He leads.  We have to persevere and sometimes that means we receive help from fellow Christians…