What Does It Mean to Take Up Our Cross?

For Jesus, the cross was a literal object upon which He suffered and died. It was a physical weight that also symbolizes the spiritual heaviness…

…but the cross also represents the suffering and surrender we all choose to endure for the sake of knowing and obeying Christ.

Taking up your cross means giving up our right to live how we want. It means letting Jesus dictate the trajectory of our lives.

Jesus made a way for us to know Him, but we have to choose whether or not we will follow Him.

“And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.’”

What might God be asking you to surrender or sacrifice?

- He’s asking me to surrender my desire to live a comfortable life.

- He’s asking me to give Him my dreams and goals for the future.

- He’s asking me to surrender my life to Jesus Christ.

Prayer -

“Jesus, I don’t want to lose what matters most by focusing on momentary things. So please help me. What I am tired, please strengthen me. When living a comfortable life seems more appealing than following You unconditionally - please convict and correct me. Give me the strength to trust in You. I know that You are worth living and dying for, but please help me to live like it. Amen”

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life FOR ME and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)