Jesus went to the cross in an unsurpassable act of love for us. Sin separated all of us from God, and there lay between us and Him an impassable canyon. All the “filthy rags” of my best efforts to qualify for heaven were on my side, and the blinding light of God’s absolute purity and holiness lay on the other. Since it is impossible for us to “earn” our way across this canyon, being far too deep and wide, faith in Christ became the bridge for us to cross over on. His voluntary death on the cross for our benefit is the complete and acceptable sacrifice for all of our sin, so that believers may eternally reside right in the midst of God’s holy presence. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit raises up all believers to a new, forever life with Him, our eternal King.
That is the gospel in a nutshell, the final focus of this series of meditations on the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Or is it? Jesus added one more, somewhat mysterious instruction to His followers:
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will find it. 26 What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done. Matthew 16:24-27 (HCSB)
What does Jesus mean when He says that we believers must deny ourselves and take up our cross? For Jesus’ apostles, this would have special meaning, as tradition tells us that most of them actually did die for their faith, some of them on a literal cross. And globally today, some believers are still being killed as martyrs for their faith. But for most people, I believe Jesus is speaking of something different – putting to death our own selfish, self-centered desires and sinful actions, and choosing to live each day for Him. Seeking to follow Him wherever He leads, serving others’ rather than our own needs and wants. Frankly, this requires a constant effort and refocusing on and prioritizing the things of God. As the apostle Paul writes:
5 For those who live according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. Romans 8:5-7 (HCSB)
Oftentimes, we fall short of ideal behavior, and end up saying or doing something offensive, not in keeping with the expectations of a citizen of God’s kingdom. When this happens, we are blessed to be able to approach the Lord in prayer to confess our sins and shortcomings, receive His forgiveness, then recommit our hearts to Him and His will. We make amends, if possible, to anyone we have hurt, and forgive others for their offenses in the same way that God has forgiven us. Easy to do? Not at all. But God will help us.
We are transferred into God’s kingdom by grace, through faith, in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us that, beyond salvation and an eternal presence with Him, believers will also be granted rewards when He returns from heaven with His angels to set up His kingdom here. Presumably, these rewards follow from the times that we walked in His Will, fulfilling the roles and good works that God prepared for us to do, and helped us to achieve.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)
Any act of choosing to follow God’s will and setting aside our own fleshly desires is, in essence, taking up our cross to follow Him. It is a life-long process of putting to death our old, selfish person and taking on the nature of Christ. This is accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit, who lives within the hearts of all believers, worldwide.
It is a journey of progress, not perfection. As Pastor Craig Cooper often says, “I may not be who I want to be, but I am not who I used to be.” May we all seek to walk closer with Jesus as we take up our cross today.
Reflection
God’s forgiveness when we fail is offered with great abundance. Every victory that we do have, whenever we choose to follow Him rather than our own selfish ways, is celebrated with great joy on earth and in heaven.
Father God, thank You for Your amazing grace, mercy, and love that You pour out on each one of us every day. Help us to follow closer to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and to live a spiritually-fruitful life that is pleasing to You and a blessing to others. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a blessed and beautiful day the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 