Matthew 10:38: And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me.
All of us have crosses to carry or bear in life. Jesus never promised that our life will be smooth until the time that He returns. He said that in the world we will have many many tribulation but to take heart because He has overcome the world.
The cross was considered as a cursed object on which criminals and offenders were put to death by the Roman empire. The person carrying it had to face lot of afflictions and wounds on his body until he was finally nailed to it and died hanging on it. Jesus bore the cross for us and died in our place. He wants our life back to Him. He is the one who is in charge of our lives. He wants to direct our life the way He pleases. There will be sorrows and joys, ups and downs, moments of celebration and moments of defeat. Jesus said that whoever does not take his or her cross and follow after Him is not worthy of Him. Following Jesus is not always exciting as it sounds. We all have our inhibitions, reservations, fear about the future, doubts about our security, etc. Yet, in spite of all these, it is worth walking in His footsteps and give our life’s charge over to Him.
If Jesus had given up half way on His way to the crucifixion, what would have become of God’s eternal plan of salvation for us? He could have called in legion of angels to help Him at the time He was whipped and ridiculed, but He did not. He laid down His life for us counting the glory that was to come. How much more should we be doing for God? Let us take up our cross and lay down our life for His sake in the sense of allowing Him to rule over us every day so that we will be found worthy of Him.
