What does it mean to "take up my cross daily"? (Ask Dr. Stanley)

it's not how heavy your Bible is how close you sit to the front row in church or whether you wear cross I'll put a fish on your car Jesus called you to follow him not to simply look up to him but to truly be his disciple to lose your life so that they can be saved for eternity but how do we live a life that is truly surrendered to God what does it look like that's the question we'll examine with today's email it reads very simply what does it mean that take up my cross daily well oftentimes we'll hear people refer to this passage of Scripture and say well what that means is I have an illness oh I have a bad marriage I've got financial problems I'm living in this dilemma I'm carrying this heavy burden I have this ongoing suffering in my life and so they consider that across that is not what Jesus meant so if you look in Chapter 9 of Luke verse 23 and he was saying to them all if anyone wishes to come after me he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me now when you think about this whole issue of denying oneself that's almost a foreign term to us because we don't think in terms of denying ourselves we think in terms of denying yourself of something that is I can't have this I won't have that we cease making self the object of one's life in actions that's what Jesus is talking about here God not self must be at the son of one's life and notice what he said he said if anyone wishes to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me the way of the Cross is a way of death it is a way of self-denial so when you talk about what's my cross and how am I going to handle this we're not talking about things not talking about hurts and pains we're talking about a relationship we are talking about a life that is so surrendered to Jesus Christ that he's the heart and the core and the center about thinking of our actions our relationship to him determines everything about our Christian life it is a deliberate willful surrender of one's life listen every single day listen to what he said take up your cross daily and follow me here's what that means if you think about the fact that you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and you choose to follow him to walk obediently before him that isn't a decision you made once you trusted him as your Savior once and for all in one decision but following him that is obeying him that is a daily issue in your life in mind when he speaks of following him he's speaking of daily surrendering our life to Him then whatever life calls 1 that day we obey Him we walk in his way we respond to the circumstances of our life based on our relationship to him that's interesting that a condemned criminal in those days was forced to carry one bar of the cross or why it was a one-way journey they wouldn't be back to live each day not for ourselves but for Christ that's what this life is all about it symbolized a life of daily discipleship following the teachings of Jesus as a way of life so when somebody says well what is your cross microns and your cross as believers is the same that is we choose daily to surrender I will aways emotions and all that we are to the Lord Jesus Christ for that day to follow him whatever that requires of us so that's not always painful that's not always the worst thing that could happen it becomes a way of life but for a person who is just beginning the Christian life and you talk about self-denial I understand you think well how can I deny myself of all these things remember what we said it's not denial of self of things it's putting Jesus at the center and the core and the heart of all your decisions and walking in that every single day that's what taking up your cross is all about well thank you for joining us for this broadcast and in touch and remember obey God leave all the consequences to him it's the only way to experience life at its very best

Channel: In Touch Ministries

Views: 139,830

Rating: 4.9473686 out of 5

Keywords: Y1229 LL, cross, fish, follow, salvation, Christian, disciple, trust, faith, Jesus, God, life, walk, surrender, cross to bear, illness, marriage, finances, burden, dilemma, self, hurt, pain, emotions, being, relationship, heart, thinking, core

Id: XRI9jr49tjg

Length: 4min 58sec (298 seconds)

Published: Fri Jul 13 2012