Bear Your Own Cross

Day 101: Luke 14:7-35

"Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." - Luke 14:27 ESV

Following Jesus (becoming a Christian) doesn't mean that we add our faith to the repertoire of an already established and successful life. When we trust Jesus for salvation, it is a complete deconstruction of our current lives in exchange for a brand new one. The things that we used to value most are now irrelevant because of this new life into which God has ushered us.

A lot of the language in our reading for today is disturbing to us. Are we really to hate our families and our own lives? Are we really to expect that following Jesus will require us to be ready to die for Him? Are we really supposed to be generous to those who can't return the favor? Is choosing humility over pride that big of a deal?

We have all candidates for baptism recite a first-century Christian confession. It is sometimes called the "Good Confession" (see 1 Timothy 6:12). It goes something like this: "I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and I accept Him as my Lord and Savior."

By becoming a Christian, we declare to everyone that Jesus is superior in our lives and that He is the only one who can save us. It isn't that we have a death wish or that we neglect our responsibilities to our family. What we find is that entrusting our lives to Jesus makes us become difference-makers.

We are now enabled and ready to love and serve like never before. We don't require credit or acclaim or the spotlight. Our only desire is to worship the One who saved our souls.

"Cross-bearing is of the essence of discipleship." - Leon Morris