Cross Bearers

“Then said Jesus unto His disciples, 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'” Matthew 16:24

A couple of weeks ago, I used my favorite necklace to illustrate the significance of discipline. The chain is priceless to me because of the gift’s giver and the pendant’s reminder of Jesus’ supreme sacrifice for us. The Lord brought to mind another lesson with the necklace: that of following Him.

My walk with the Lord will need tending, just like that piece of jewelry that tangled easily and occasionally caught on clothes I wore. Because I sincerely desire to follow Christ daily, I must renounce self-independence, selfish ambitions, and pursuits and be willing to accept what God appoints me. The difficulties and entanglements I may meet along the way with people or situations are no surprise to Him. Nor are the troubles and griefs that have visited me; I am to endure in all these (my cross) to follow Jesus.

In this passage's setting, Jesus spoke not only to believing disciples but also to those who followed His teachings (Mark 8:34). Unless people fully surrender to God, they only go after the Teacher. They must deny themselves and take up their cross; if they refuse, they are not worthy of following Jesus (Matt 10:38). The cross we must take up pales compared to the sinless Christ’s cross He took upon Himself for our sins.