Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:34-36
This week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is known as Holy Week. For Christians, these eight days are a time of reflection on the last few days of Jesus’ earthly ministry and a time to celebrate His resurrection and triumph over death on Easter.
As Jesus prepared His disciples for His impending death, He spoke to them of taking up their own cross and following Him. What was Jesus asking His disciples to do? Picking up their own crosses meant sacrificing their own comforts and living less selfishly. It implied truly dying to self. Following Jesus involved living as He lived and that cost the disciples. When they followed Him, they gave up their time, their jobs, the comforts of home, and probably family time as they traveled around their corner of the world. They may have sacrificed their reputations. Eventually it would cost them their lives.
Why would the disciples pick up their cross and follow Jesus? Because they realized the benefits outweighed the price. The opportunity to dwell in the presence of their Lord now and the gift of eternal life overshadowed any inconvenience here on earth. Jim Elliot, the missionary who was martyred in 1956 by the Huaorani people in Ecuador, made this rather prophetic statement before his death: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot gave his earthly life in an effort to bring the gospel of Jesus to a group of people who had never heard of Christ. Eventually, many of that people group came to salvation in Christ as a result of the faith of Jim Elliot and the other men martyred with him.
As believers, when we struggle to control and hold on tightly to this world and its comforts, we aren’t picking up our crosses. If we focus on our own comfort and worldly advantages and not on the kingdom of Christ, we lose the chance to walk with our Savior now and grow in the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (See Galatians 5:22-23) As followers, we can experience the kingdom of God in the here and now. And it makes a difference in our lives. We can have freedom from the chains that bind us. We can have joy in the midst of sorrow. We can have peace in the midst of tumultuous circumstances. If we don’t pick up our cross and follow Jesus, we miss the benefits of kingdom living now.
Not only are there benefits to be gained in the short run, there are long-term benefits as well. Instead of striving for the good life here, we can enjoy the good life hereafter – by following Jesus and being who He wants us to be while doing what He wants us to do. The world will pass away and we are no fools who lay up treasure in heaven as we will one day live with Jesus for all eternity, never to die again.
We may not be called to lay down our lives for our faith like Jim Elliot, but like him, we are called to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. Every day, not just during Holy Week.
Lord Jesus, You willingly gave Your life for me by dying a horrible death on a cross. Thank you for giving me abundant life now and life for all eternity with You in heaven. May I daily pick up my own cross and follow You, knowing it will cost me but also realizing the benefits far outweigh the price. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
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Text and photo copyright © 2016 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of cross atop Santa Barbara Mission, Santa Barbara, California.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
This week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is known as Holy Week. For Christians, these eight days are a time of reflection on the last few days of Jesus’ earthly ministry and a time to celebrate His resurrection and triumph over death on Easter.
As Jesus prepared His disciples for His impending death, He spoke to them of taking up their own cross and following Him. What was Jesus asking His disciples to do? Picking up their own crosses meant sacrificing their own comforts and living less selfishly. It implied truly dying to self. Following Jesus involved living as He lived and that cost the disciples. When they followed Him, they gave up their time, their jobs, the comforts of home, and probably family time as they traveled around their corner of the world. They may have sacrificed their reputations. Eventually it would cost them their lives.
Why would the disciples pick up their cross and follow Jesus? Because they realized the benefits outweighed the price. The opportunity to dwell in the presence of their Lord now and the gift of eternal life overshadowed any inconvenience here on earth. Jim Elliot, the missionary who was martyred in 1956 by the Huaorani people in Ecuador, made this rather prophetic statement before his death: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Jim Elliot gave his earthly life in an effort to bring the gospel of Jesus to a group of people who had never heard of Christ. Eventually, many of that people group came to salvation in Christ as a result of the faith of Jim Elliot and the other men martyred with him.
As believers, when we struggle to control and hold on tightly to this world and its comforts, we aren’t picking up our crosses. If we focus on our own comfort and worldly advantages and not on the kingdom of Christ, we lose the chance to walk with our Savior now and grow in the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (See Galatians 5:22-23) As followers, we can experience the kingdom of God in the here and now. And it makes a difference in our lives. We can have freedom from the chains that bind us. We can have joy in the midst of sorrow. We can have peace in the midst of tumultuous circumstances. If we don’t pick up our cross and follow Jesus, we miss the benefits of kingdom living now.
Not only are there benefits to be gained in the short run, there are long-term benefits as well. Instead of striving for the good life here, we can enjoy the good life hereafter – by following Jesus and being who He wants us to be while doing what He wants us to do. The world will pass away and we are no fools who lay up treasure in heaven as we will one day live with Jesus for all eternity, never to die again.
We may not be called to lay down our lives for our faith like Jim Elliot, but like him, we are called to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. Every day, not just during Holy Week.
Lord Jesus, You willingly gave Your life for me by dying a horrible death on a cross. Thank you for giving me abundant life now and life for all eternity with You in heaven. May I daily pick up my own cross and follow You, knowing it will cost me but also realizing the benefits far outweigh the price. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Want to subscribe to future posts? Click here.
Text and photo copyright © 2016 by Dawn Dailey. All rights reserved. Photo of cross atop Santa Barbara Mission, Santa Barbara, California.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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