Christian, Where is Your Cross?
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)
Last night I was surfing through the TV channels and I happen across the TBN channel. There was a man carrying a large wooden cross. It immediately caught my attention so I listened to him. He was telling about all the opportunities it had given him to witness about Jesus to people who stopped him to ask him about the cross he was carrying. He gave a long list of his experiences while carrying his cross; telling about how many he had won to the Lord.
I’m not sure that is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he spoke those words to his disciples, in the verse above. It does however illustrate perfectly what Jesus meant by them. It made me stop and ask myself some questions which I think every Christian should ask themselves.
Is the cross I am carrying evident to people I meet?
Does the cross I carry cause people to be curious enough to ask me about it? Does my cross give me chances to witness to them about Christ?
Can the world see that I am carrying a burden for the lost?
If someone asks, can I explain the meaning of the cross to them?
Christians should be asking themselves these and many other similar questions. If we are carrying our cross, as we should be, we should be able to answer the questions above in the affirmative.
Jesus said to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. That is three things all Christians are to do. If we don’t deny our self, are we following him? If we are not carrying our cross, are we following him? If we are following him as we say we are, where is our cross?
The apostle, Paul, had some harsh words for some false Christians in Titus 1:16, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
God forbid, that this ever be true of us who say we are following Christ.
Christian, Where is Your Cross?
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)
Last night I was surfing through the TV channels and I happen across the TBN channel. There was a man carrying a large wooden cross. It immediately caught my attention so I listened to him. He was telling about all the opportunities it had given him to witness about Jesus to people who stopped him to ask him about the cross he was carrying. He gave a long list of his experiences while carrying his cross; telling about how many he had won to the Lord.
I’m not sure that is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he spoke those words to his disciples, in the verse above. It does however illustrate perfectly what Jesus meant by them. It made me stop and ask myself some questions which I think every Christian should ask themselves.
Is the cross I am carrying evident to people I meet?
Does the cross I carry cause people to be curious enough to ask me about it? Does my cross give me chances to witness to them about Christ?
Can the world see that I am carrying a burden for the lost?
If someone asks, can I explain the meaning of the cross to them?
Christians should be asking themselves these and many other similar questions. If we are carrying our cross, as we should be, we should be able to answer the questions above in the affirmative.
Jesus said to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. That is three things all Christians are to do. If we don’t deny our self, are we following him? If we are not carrying our cross, are we following him? If we are following him as we say we are, where is our cross?
The apostle, Paul, had some harsh words for some false Christians in Titus 1:16, “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”
God forbid, that this ever be true of us who say we are following Christ.
Christian, Where is Your Cross?
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