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How do I take up my cross daily as Jesus commanded?
Mark 8:34 “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
I have always wondered how “I” could obey this command? (scratching my head) My approach tends to be performance-based. That means my efforts are the way to obey. But then, I run into that my efforts are filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. Why?... Because they are MY efforts. I know that a theme throughout scripture is that we are to obey God’s Word. Abraham did this (Gen 12 and 15). Moses did this. And God wants us to keep the law and His commandments. It says in John 14:15 “if you love me, you will obey my commandments.” Ouch! “If you love me…”. There is no way I can keep the law or obey even a metaphor command like this; “taking up your cross” or even; “follow Me.” I fail every time. But what I have learned is that scripture wants me to be dependent on Him. Let go of me (impossible) but let go of my efforts and instead of trying to create a list of “disciplines” that I think may please God, so I can get a “pat” on the head and maybe have a good life…(long sentence, sorry)…perhaps I can’t even take up my cross daily? Here is what I CAN do though…I can drop at the foot of the cross at every command I find in scripture and ask Him to change me so that I CAN obey through His power in me! Then He gets the glory because my efforts are rooted in His changes in me! (Bubble text box popup near my head: “Ahhh…you ARE pretty slow Ric…”) He gave us the Holy Spirit to provide change. Not my efforts, but His change IN me. Isn’t that the grace of God? Titus 2:11-12 says so: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 11 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age…
Only with His help can we change.