When the Lord Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow Me”(Mtt.16:24), many people interpret ‘cross’ as some burden they must carry in their lives, such as poverty, strained relationship, failure, work-pressure, sickness and so on. With self-pitying pride, they say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Such an interpretation is not what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” When Jesus carried His cross up Golgotha to be crucified, no one was thinking of the cross as symbolic of a burden to carry. To a person in the first-century, the cross meant one thing only – painful and humiliating dead through crucifixion. Today, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented torturous death. Because the Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion; bearing a cross meant carrying their own execution device while facing ridicule along the way to death. Therefore, “Take up your cross and follow Me” means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called ‘dying to self.’ But instead of dying to self, some people try to follow Christ for self glory. Using their big mouths they exalt self at the cost of other disciples when they malign and slander them with exaggerated facts and incidents. But every action has its own reaction. As the scripture says, ‘he who dig a pit for others falls himself therein’. When they get trapped in their own trap, they will say ‘this is my cross’. Why carry a self-created pseudo cross? Today there are many believers getting burnt-out by carrying self created heavy cross. Many soldiers of Christ take voluntary retirement after fighting a wrong exhaustive battle. They glory themselves too much in civilian affairs for want of recognition; meanwhile some civilians also lure them with fluttery and apparent glory. This can happen to any group of people when they are no more absorbed into the Word of God. Be extremely careful when you are in God’s business! Wiser are those who do not invent another cross for the ministry, for here is the cross of Christ to carry, for which we are called. Many believers are carrying self-created cross today. Thus they are exhausted and burnt-out. Which cross are you carrying today? Beloved brethren, let us glory in the cross of Christ alone, no matter what the cost be. Following the Lord Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly, but our true commitment to Him is revealed during trials. Jesus made it clear that trials will come to His followers (Jn.16:33). Discipleship demands sacrifice, and the Lord never hid that cost. Today, how many people would respond to an altar call that goes, “Come follow the Lord Jesus, and you may face the loss of friends, family, reputation, career, and possibly even your life for the sake of Christ.”? Such a call is what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow me”.
In Him,
Moatoshi Imsong Zonal Secretary, UESI-NE Cell: 09612002214 Email: zonalsecretary@gmail.com
