Focus: What's My Cross?

Text: Lk.9:23

"And he said to them all, If any man will come AFTER me, let him deny HIMSELF, and take up HIS cross DAILY, and follow me."

In trying to understand what your cross means, it is essential to consider the fact that there are two different crosses in life: the cross of self-inflicted suffering and the cross of self-sacrificing love. Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross between two thieves who were also crucified on their own crosses. The cross of Christ is one, while the cross on which the two thieves were crucified is another one. The two crosses are not the same. One of the thieves made it abundantly clear. He said, "Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss" (Lk.23:40-41). The cross on which the thieves died was the cross of suffering for one's evil deeds, but the cross on which Jesus Christ died was the cross of self-sacrifice for the salvation of others.

The cross of Christ was for a heavenly mission. The Lord Jesus Christ prayed, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done" (Mt.26:42). The cross of Christ is at the center of God's will. Jesus Christ was born to die; He came to earth to die on the cross. The cross was His destiny, His mission, His mandate from heaven. The cross was the will of God for Christ. He yielded Himself to dying on the cross because that was the reason He came to the earth. John declares, "And HE bearing HIS cross went forth…" (Jh.19:17). Paul says, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil.2:8).

Christ's cross was not about suffering for His own sake but for the sake of others. He says to His followers, "And WHOSOEVER doth not bear HIS cross, and come after me, CANNOT be my disciple" (Lk.14:27). Christ had a cross, and no one qualifies to be Christ's disciple without a cross. Even to the rich young ruler, Jesus Christ says, "Take up the cross, and follow me" (Mk.10:21). A disciple of Christ without a cross is a misfit. In Matthew, Christ says, "And HE that taketh not HIS cross, and followeth after me, is not WORTHY of me" (Mt.10:38). Without a cross we are unworthy of Christ.

Let me tell you what the cross of Christ signifies in our own lives. Here is what it means using the CROSS as an acronym:

*Christ-centered living

*Rock-solid faith in God

*Obedience to God's will

*Service-oriented mission

*Self-giving, sacrificial love

That is what the cross of Christ means to all of us who are willing, ready and determined to be His disciples. 

It means that every moment you die to self for another person's interest, you are bearing your cross. Every time you love another person as Christ would, you are bearing your cross.

The cross is the will of God for your life. The cross is living daily with a sense and a pursuit of mission.

The cross is not sickness. Jesus Christ was never sick; at least we have no record of it in Scripture. He only suffered with us. He bore our pain and felt our infirmity. He did not just bear them away, but He bore them upon Himself.

The cross has nothing to do with suffering for the consequences of our choices and actions. The cross has nothing to do with sickness or poverty or the terrible effects of our own stupidity, ignorance or arrogance. Our self-inflicted misery is not the cross. The error of poor judgment and its effects do not define what the cross is. 

On the other hand, whatever we suffer for the sake of our divine assignment is all part of our cross. If we went to prison for preaching the gospel… If we are denied our rights because of our faith… If we are despised or persecuted by others because we serve God… Whatever it is that we go through in life because of our commitment to Christ, that is our cross. Every price we pay or the sacrifices we make for the sake of fulfilling our divine destiny, that is our cross. If we have to go to bed without food in our stomach for the sake of our faith, then that is our cross.

The cross involves self-denial, self-sacrifice and self-giving. It is being involved with what God is doing. It is yielding to the Lordship of Christ. It is going in the same direction with Jesus Christ.

The cross is washing the disciples' feet. The cross is touching the leper and loving the unloved. The cross is suffering for others to survive. It is losing your life in order to finding it. It is enduring all the inconveniences and discomforts associated with your cross. It is following in the steps of Christ. The writer of Hebrews says, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him ENDURED the cross, DESPISING the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb.12:2). From the cross we arrive at the crown, and all we need to wear the crown is enduring the cross and despising the shame. We are assured that by suffering with Christ we shall surely reign with Him.

Which cross is at work in your life, the cross of divine mission or that of human mistakes and its resultant miseries? What's your cross? Just make sure that your cross is connected with Christ's cross.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter