Take Up Your Cross
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 21 Feb 2010 in From Steve's Study ::
Today our series on Luke brings us to the heart of what it means to be Christian. There are many great things about Jesus… he is powerful, loving, giving, wise and much more; but today we see the heart of what he came to do.
Once, when Jesus had some time alone with his disciples, he asked them what others were saying about him. They told him that there were many different ideas, but that most people seemed to think he was someone sent from God. When Jesus asked them what they themselves thought Peter piped up and said, “You are the Christ of God” (Luke 9:20). Peter and the other disciples had recognized from his great deeds and from the things he had taught them that he was God’s king – the Messiah – who had come to bring in God’s kingdom. So far, so good.
There was, however, one thing they needed to learn. And that was exactly what it meant for him to be king, and how he was actually going to bring in the kingdom. He went on to tell them that he had to suffer and die. They needed to realize that their salvation was going to come at the cost of his life.
But there was also another sting in the tail. Jesus told them that if anyone wanted to follow him, they were going to have to go the same way… they were going to have to give up their lives for him. The Christian life is not a hobby. It is not an insurance policy. It is not a “personal preference” chosen to make us feel better about ourselves or our lives. The Christian life is a deliberate choice to live for the glory of God and not ourselves. Often it is a life of great joy and peace, but sometimes it will mean that we have to make hard choices that might hurt – choices to do with our time, our money, our relationships & our priorities. In the words of Charles Spurgeon, “There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross- bearers here below.”
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