The Cost of Disciple Part 2

So I know it’s been a little longer than I had hoped for writing this blog, but I’m excited to share with you some things about the continuing verse of last blog’s passage. I ask that if you haven’t read the last blog, that you take a moment to do so that you can be up to speed with the series blog. Again, this is part two of a three part series on the cost of discipleship. Lord I pray that today you take us a step closer to truth in this walk, take us deeper into an intimate relationship with you!

“²⁷ And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” LUKE 14:27

In the previous verses Jesus says that our love for him should look like hatred to this world. Meaning we should love him, interact with him, and seek him so much that others think we don’t love them. That’s a hard challenge to follow sometimes. Even more than that, Jesus ends his though with the passage above. This statement always strikes me as interesting. We must remember that Jesus is saying we have to carry our cross, and he hasn’t even died on his cross yet! Jesus says a statement like this one much earlier than this in Luke:

“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” LUKE 9:23

With these two passages we see some things that we should think about:

There is a cross we

are called to carry

So what does this cross look like? How much does it weigh? Are they square beams or are they round poles? I don’t know the answer to these questions, but what I do know is that you have a cross to carry for Christ. This means that when it comes to our faith that we should take on the weight of our faith. We should know what our faith entails, and what we are to do with that faith. I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t see that carrying a cross is easy. Our society has brought this verse down to a 2 oz metal cross that we wear on our necklace or a big ink tattoo on our arm. I don’t think this is what these verses are alluding too. I see this as sometimes being something we carry even if we don’t want to. I see this cross being something that is big enough for everyone to see. I see this cross being light enough for us to carry, but heavy enough for us to have some struggle. I feel this cross is the Gospel of Jesus. The story of what he did for us, what he did for others, and the story of what he still is doing right now for people around the world. Luke 9 takes it a step further and says we are called to carry this daily, NOT JUST SUNDAY, but daily. That means we carry this cross 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 60 minutes an hour, and 60 seconds a minute! THAT’S DAILY!

 

After We take up our Cross,

We follow after the cross

What did Christ do with his cross? Last time I checked, he died on it. He did it for you and for me! In other words, these two verses are foreshadowing what he did for us on his cross. This is the part of the Blog some people like hearing, and some won’t. Jesus said to take us your cross and follow after him! He is asking you to put your fleshly desires, your wants, your will, and your plans to death. But let me show you the beauty of this! Jesus rose from the grave! Jesus was given new life!

“¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” ROMANS 8:11

If you die to yourself, the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, which gave him new life, WILL GIVE YOU NEW LIFE! Stay focused though brothers and sisters. We need to carry the cross first and then follow him. You can’t have the new life without carrying your cross first.

So here is the idea. Are you carrying your cross? Are you following Christ to the death of your will and rising and walking in his will? Or, are you just calling yourself Christian and never thinking there is a cost?

Think this one through Beloved! I love you all!