Two Crosses

What does "Take up your cross" mean? There is a popular scripture found in Mark 8:34 which reads, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.". I've grown up in church all my life, but have often wondered what Jesus meant by that. Am I supposed to make a cross out of railroad ties, and walk down the side of the road? How am I supposed to take up a cross? What did Jesus mean when He was addressing His disciples? This is a valid question if you're a new christian, or someone who's grown up in church and just let "take up your cross" slip through your spiritual fingers.

I was reading the Purple Book this week, and it gave me a very clear understanding of what it means to take up your cross. It read, "Taking up your cross is the ultimate act of surrender-a conscious choice to deny yourself and live for Christ. It means a willingness to follow and obey Christ to whatever end." I've heard it said that salvation is free, but it will cost you everything. This is so true. We are no longer are our own, but belong to Him. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

To be a true follower of Christ, we must count the cost of following Him. We don't want to come to Him for a "get out of hell free" card. We are not supposed to come to Jesus on Sunday, and then live the rest of the week like we want then come to Jesus and repent on the following Sunday for the same sins. This is a crazy cycle plagued by so many believers today who don't understand the cost of discipleship and following Christ. Jesus compared being a disciple to building a tower in Luke 14:28, "For which of you intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it." Are you willing to give up your sin, evil desires, pride, way, and selfishness to follow Christ 100%? You can't be straddling the fence on this issue. You have to be all in to be a true disciple. Jesus was speaking to the "Lukewarm Church" in Revelation 3:15-16 when He said, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth." That's pretty harsh isn't it. Being a lukewarm christian makes Jesus literally sick as you can tell from the scripture. Let's not be lukewarm. Let's make a decision today to take up our cross daily and follow Him.

Let's close this post out with some encouragement that I read in the Purple Book this morning. "There is a difference between the cross of Christ and the cross we pick up when we become His disciples. Because of Christ's victory on the cross, we are freed from sin and made "slaves" of righteousness (Romans 6:17-18). He gives us the power to pick up our cross and follow Him."

What exactly happened at the cross of Christ?

"And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:13-15

Can you carry a cross? Yes you can! He carried His cross, so we can have the power to carry ours. Apostle Paul put it like this, "I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

What is a Purple Book? Click Here