You! Carry His Cross!

Have you been called to carry the cross of Christ? Do you feel like it is a burden too heavy to bear? Do you worry about what others might say?
To carry the cross of Christ is a unique burden unlike any other. It requires sacrifice of ourselves to be able to bear the cross of Christ; in order that we may lead others to that same cross. What does the cross represent? It represents death. In the biblical days the cross was a means used to execute people. The term used was crucify.
When we carry the cross of Christ, in essence, what we are doing is dying out to ourselves. We no longer should have control over our lives, but that Christ in us, should have complete control through his word and through our willingness to serve him.
The heaviness of the cross can come in many ways. It can be through intercessory prayer, sometimes spontaneously. It can be through denying ourselves various pleasures to our carnal man. It can also come from being under a burden for the lost of this world, as well as various other ways.
Jesus knew what his cross represented. He knew that he had to willingly give his life upon his cross, in order that we may have life. Jesus denied himself and took up his cross in obedience to God's plan. Had he chosen to deny God's plan, he could have called for legions of angels to come down from heaven and take him off of the cross, or even come off of the cross by himself. But he chose to be obedient to God's plan.
Did Jesus suffer pain? Did he feel the nails driven into his hands and feet? You bet he did, in fact, he felt the very heaviness of sin that was placed upon him on the cross for you, me ,and the whole world. Did Jesus feel ridiculed for hanging on that cross? Was he made fun of? Was he laughed at? Most assuredly the answer to all of the questions is yes.
As Jesus bore his cross through the streets of Jerusalem, his life was at all exposure to the public. As his back was torn open and bleeding from the stripes, the crown of thorns pressed into his head causing blood to fall to his face. In his weakened state, the cross became too heavy for him to carry. As Jesus fell down in the street, a Roman soldier grabbed the arm of someone nearby.
This was Simon, the Cyrenian. Unknowingly to Simon, Jesus had called him through the Roman soldier, to be the first one to take up the cross of Christ. Simon probably did not want to do it, but somehow, he knew that he had to. He obeyed and carried the cross of Jesus.
When we take up our cross to carry it for Christ, we are undertaking a responsibility of magnitude proportions unknown to us. The weight of the cross will at times, feel too heavy to carry, but all the while, the hand of Jesus is right there lifting us up.
Taking up our cross and following Jesus will require some suffering. Will you feel pain? Yes, you will feel pain physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Will you feel the burden of the heaviness of sin as you observe how sin is destroying mankind? Yes you will feel it, as you reach out to help those that are lost in sin. Will you feel ridiculed for bearing a cross by the way you live? Will you be laughed at? Yes, you will be ridiculed, laughed at, made fun of, by anyone and everyone; sometimes even by your own family members.
Will you feel like giving up? More than likely you will. Sadly, some will give up and never receive the eternal rewards that Jesus opened up for us through his death on the cross. Others however, will endure the pain, the suffering and all of the ridicule because they want, they need, they must have, they crave, the eternal rewards which comes after bearing the cross.
Jesus is calling all of us that will, to carry our cross and deny ourselves. We all have a choice. Do we make the choice to go through all of the sufferings involved with carrying our cross for Christ here on this earth, or do we deny Christ, enjoy our worldly pleasures for a season here, and then receive our just rewards in the flames of Hell?
Myself, I have chosen to carry the cross that Jesus had asked me to bear. I know what it will involve and require, and I also know that,(I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me-Philippians 4:12).
Jesus is always calling us to carry our cross for him, sometimes though, we may not hear him calling. But when you do hear him call you, answer him by taking up your cross, deny yourself, and follow him. This life here is but a vapor. Eternity is much longer than our finite minds can comprehend. Do not deny the cross. When the Roman soldier grabs your arm, do not refuse, but take up the cross of Christ and follow him.Feb 15,1998