In Matthew 16:24-27, Jesus told His disciples, “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 will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels.
Being a disciple of Jesus is “our cross” that we carry. It involves “denying ourselves,” or dying to ourselves—self-sacrifice. But being a disciple is not just carrying our special cross. It is Jesus’ cross we are carrying. And in carrying it for him, we identify with him in his life, his shame and disgrace, and his death.
when we come to know Jesus and who he is, then we find that it’s a great privilege to willingly suffer along with him and bear his shame. A great reward awaits those who do. We find when we embrace the cross in faith, it seems at first to be all dead. But it becomes the means through which God gives us life. And we become who we were meant to be: like Christ himself.
It’s not easy to count the cost and follow Him, but we’re assured that His love will equip us, guide us, and cheer us on.
**Trust in God amid the storms**
To carry your cross means to fully put your trust in God amid the storms and battles in your life. It means that although you may be in an extremely difficult or painful situation, you always trust that God is with you in the midst of your suffering.
As Christians, we try to live our life according to the will of God. We commit to following His commandments and we do not live as the culture tells us to. Living this way comes with persecution, temptation, and pain. We must carry our cross for Jesus. He is with us each step of the way.
Just as Christ rose again on the third day, those who love God and trust in Him shall have victory, whether it be in this life or the next
Don’t waste your suffering. It’s powerful and beautiful. When you carry your cross, think about somebody important to you. Maybe it’s someone else who is going through a difficult time. It could be for the conversion of a loved one. God will use our crosses, to not just build us, but build others as well.
Whenever I think about this sentiment, I always come to the problem of people dying as a result of their suffering. I think of someone who may have passed away from a sickness or disease, somebody who was in an accident or other causes of death. How does God use this? Well, every situation is different and I don’t think this has a one-size fits all answer.
What can be said, is that God tells us that “all things work together for good for those who love Him.” Romans 8:28. If we take a step back and try to imagine the world as God does, it’s a bit like a parent’s understanding of the world versus how a four-year-old understands the world.
God has a plan. We must trust in Him in good, and most definitely in bad times. Of course, this isn’t easy to do. Our human nature wants to run away from this. But we must deny ourselves and trust God’s will in all things. Someday, when we get to see things how God has seen them, I think we will all cry tears of joy.
Some of the Benefits of carrying our crosses include the following-
1. Our crosses purify our faith, hope and love and, at the same time, heal the temporal consequences of our sins.
1 Peter 1:6-9
“In this, you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith, you obtain the salvation of your souls.”
Romans 5:2-4, 10:
“We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope…. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
James 1:2-4
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Each difficult situation that we experience has been sent or allowed by God to purify us (to free us to love) in a specific way. Just as when you go to the gym, you use different machines to lift weights so that all of your different muscles are strengthened; God is perfecting us in love through the combination of our trials. Holiness is not achieved through one difficult event or one difficult situation. Each struggle has something in it that we need – a hidden treasure. These hidden treasures will be revealed as we persevere. We will not be the same person at the end of the trial that we were at the beginning.
2. Our crosses increase the flow of grace in the world.
“As Christians, our prayers, actions, sacrifices and sufferings offered up in union with Christ serve as conduits, in a sense, of God’s grace. And it is God’s grace that redeems fallen humanity, rolls back the forces of evil, enlightens sin-darkened hearts, restores hope to those in despair, fills us with joy, wisdom, and strength… God’s Kingdom flourishes, in individuals, families, parishes, and societies, when the flow of grace is abundant. To increase the value of our offering (our merits) through these means is to do our part to increase the flow of God’s grace in, through, and around us”
3. Finally, not only does handling our crosses this way bear fruit for others, this sacrifice and suffering that we bear in, with and through Christ, is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory – it is increasing our capacity to love and our growth in virtue – making us more like Christ. This increases the degree of His glory that we will participate in – in heaven. Every cross that we bear patiently and offer as an intercessory prayer for others, increases our glory from one degree to another:
Romans 8:16-18
“For the Spirit, Himself gives testimony to our spirit that we are the sons of God. And if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified with Him. The sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us.”
2 Corinthians 4:17
“For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
May The Lord Grant Us The Strength And Grace To Carry Our Cross As Required Of Us. Amen
