January 27th, 2015. OUR PERSONALIZED CROSS And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. Matthew 10:38 HE WHO DOTH NOT TAKE UP HIS CROSS. From particular cases he proceeds to general views, and informs us that we cannot be reckoned his disciples unless we are prepared to endure many afflictions. If we are vexed and tormented by the thought, that the gospel should set us at variance with our father, or our wife, or our children, let us remember this condition, that Christ subjects all his disciples to the cross. Yet let us also bear in mind this consolation, that, in bearing the cross, we are the companions of Christ, — which will speedily have the effect of allaying all its bitterness. The reprobates are not less firmly bound to their cross, and cannot with their most violent struggles shake it off; but as to those who are out of Christ the cross is accursed, a mournful end awaits them. Let us therefore learn to connect these two things, that believers must bear the cross in order to follow their Master; that is, in order to conform to his example, and to abide by his footsteps like faithful companions. The cross should become very personal. It must become in our experience a personalized cross. What do I mean by a personalized cross? The above verse indicates that if a man is going to follow the Lord, he has to deny himself and take up his cross-- his cross-- and follow the Lord. It is always his cross. Brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus had His cross. He had the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the religious people 2,000 years ago. He had His Judas. He had His environment that was against Him, that was ordered before the foundation of the world (Acts 2:23). The Lord had his own personal set of circumstances, His own trials, which were sent by God. He accepted everything, without exception. Watch Him when He was under the fiery testings, under the environments. And now the Lord tells us to follow Him. Each person has to take up his cross. It must become personalized. We must see our environment in the same way the Lord saw His environment. For Gods plan to be worked out in us requires death and resurrection. We have to have our cross and know it in a personal way. In Mark 8:34 the Lord said, Let him deny himself, and take up his cross. This means the Lord has allowed certain situations. He has allowed certain troubles and insults. He has allowed a certain kind of husband, wife, or children. Each of these is a certain kind of environment. And for each, we have to take up the cross in a personal way. Let a man take up his personalized cross. To take up our cross means to embrace what God allows in our lives. It means to embrace our environment as the outward cross the Lord has sent to us. The cross must become that personal. But have we really personalized it? For example, when you complain about your husband, when you have an issue with your wife, when you are hoping that the other person will change-- he or she is too hard on you and it is too difficult-- when you have a blaming attitude, wanting to change the situation, it indicates that you are a person who has not embraced your cross. The Lord says to such a person, Let him take up his cross, and follow Me.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:04:45 +0000
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