It's Me Again God 2

105. Take Up Your Cross

It's me again God,

With just two weeks until Good Friday, it's significant that today I opened the book of Mark to this passage on taking up my cross. It's also not coincidental that last night at a special creative night at church, a talented young artist chose to give me a beautifully made ceramic cross. She just quietly came and placed it in my hands and said that You had prompted her to give it to me. Surprised and deeply touched, I marvelled at the amazing marbling effect on the surface and the weight of the cross itself. It was quite heavy to carry as it's about 25cm tall and maybe 3.5cm thick. I wondered why I was chosen out of a room full of people to have this special gift until I started reading:

"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.""
‭‭Mark‬ ‭8:34-38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I've never had to carry a cross before, apart from a very small, light gold cross, a piece of jewellery which is now on a bracelet but is so light, I don't even notice it. This new cross is significantly weighty and reminds me of the heavy load of sin You bore for all humanity. Thank You that You were prepared to be punished and die this way for me!

Denying myself and my own self interests and taking up my cross to follow You, is a big thing because I am expressing a willingness to endure whatever is to come.  According to the Amplified version, following You involves believing in You, conforming to Your way of living and even being prepared to suffer or die because of my faith in You!

Help me Lord to daily surrender to Your ways, without being fearful of what is to come but fully trusting You with every area of my life. May I be mindful of letting go of everything for Your sake and for the sake of the gospel because only then will I continually experience true life as You intended. Choosing to keep areas of my life for myself will only cause me to forfeit these in the end.

Luke also emphasised the fact that taking up our cross is not just at our point of conversion, it's is a daily decision:

"Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."
‭‭Luke‬ ‭9:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬
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Thank You for all You accomplished by dying for me on the cross and for the gift of the Cross last night, which will always make me think of this passage and the great call on my life to surrender everything as I serve You. Show me any area of my life where I am still trying to hold onto control. I truly do want to serve You faithfully and not hold anything back!

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile."
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In Your Name,
Amen.