TAKE UP THE CROSS AND FOLLOW ME

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Merlin Daniel Elavummakkel

above words that Jesus Christ said, have a great and strong meaning that people never knew its actual meaning. People often take this Bible verse in an THE easy way meaning “Take up without knowing the deep which Jesus has meant. your cross and follow me” means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. It's a call to absolute surrender. To surrender one's life for Jesus, they must be Faithful to Him. It is a commitment to Christ by taking up the cross daily, leaving aside all your dreams, hopes, possessions even your very life to live for Christ. When Jesus said those words to the people (Luke 9:23), He also said that those who deny themselves can take up the cross and follow Him. Denying oneself means to leave aside all their worldly pleasures because only those who can deny themselves and willingly take up the cross, can become His disciples. To become a disciple of Jesus, one must be committed to the decision they take. They must be obedient, must be fully willing to live and work for the Lord, must be faithful to the Lord as well as in what they are committed to do, the willingness to stay strong in the Lord in trials and problems etc. It is easy to say that I am a Disciple of Jesus and follow Him, but difficult to live, as our true commitment to Him is revealed during the trials we go through. One must show through their life, which will encourage others also to follow the path of Jesus. As the scripture says, “therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11), our life in Christ should also encourage others to come into that path. What Jesus showed us through taking up the cross is that, the life you choose by following Him is not easy and full of enjoyment, rather it will be difficult, will have trials, hardships, must have patience, may have to go through long sufferings etc. Jesus didn't say you will have an easy life as one thinks when you follow Him, because He calls on us to commit our whole life to Him- 'to Trust Him Alone', for our Salvation and then to follow Him as His disciples. No one will truly follow Christ who continues to be more interested in themselves than in Christ. In the life of Jesus, we can see that He was very faithful to what He was committed with the Heavenly Father and He never turned back from His focus on the Will of the Lord. If we need to be a Disciple of God, we need to Kingdom Perspectives | Nov-Dec 2020

be very faithful to Him and our focus on the Lord must be strong and stable. Because God gives tasks and the best, only to His faithful servants. The Scripture says, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities.” (Luke 16:10). But it's not easy to be faithful to God. It's a commitment to God from our heart. You may have to go through many situations which will shake your faith in God. But your Faithfulness is tested during these trials, hardships, tribulations and long sufferings. To be Faithful to God is to be Faithful unto death. Any person, whether a follower of Jesus or not, will suffer frustration and pain in their life. Taking up one's cross and following Jesus is something which is completely different. What Jesus is referring to is, “Commitment to Him”, even unto death, obedience to the extreme measure and willingness to die in pursuit of obedience. The one who loses his life for Jesus is the Spiritual Winner. The implication is that even if obedience is painful and humiliating, we should be willing to endure it for Christ. The call is tough, but the eternal reward is well worth the temporary pain. As the scripture says, “For many are called but few are chosen.” (Mathew 22:14) as it is a call or an invitation of the Gospel which is preached to the whole world and it reaches to many, but only few of them respond effectively with the true faith to that call. In the Bible we can see many people like Abraham, David, Job, Daniel etc., whom God took and used them because they were very faithful to the Lord. God calls only the Faithful and He is looking for people who are Faithful to appoint them to do the Will of God in this Time. So, don't be satisfied with anything less, for there is no greater joy in life than following Christ every day. As one day I asked Jesus, “Jesus, you have blessed me in many ways where I am not even worthy to receive it. What should I give you in return for all you have done for me, because how much ever I give thanks to you, it's not enough.” And the Lord spoke to me saying, “Be Faithful, Be Thankful and Be Fruitful.” So, when you are Faithful to God, you will become Thankful to Him and when you are Thankful to God, only then you can be Fruitful to God. And remember, if you are Faithful to God, only then you can be Faithful to what you have committed to God. “For He Who Promised Is FAITHFUL.”