I CHOOSE TO SERVE 05: WHAT IT TAKES TO SERVE GOD 2

“If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine” Matt. 10:38 (NLT).

“He must live like a person that will die very soon. Yes, if he is not ready to die for me, he cannot obey me. So think about what it will be like to obey me” Luke 14:27 (EET).

BEARING YOUR CROSS:

There are diverse opinions of the true picture of the cross as it concerns Christians. Some people look at the cross as issues of life such as physical infirmities, temperamental weaknesses, family problems, and all their likes. That is a somewhat deluded view of the cross that Jesus was talking about, they are just the common lot of man. Even people who are not born again have these issues to deal with.

The cross is a symbol of DEATH. Yes DEATH! The question now is; who or what is dying or rather, being killed?

When Jesus carried the cross, He was carrying the weight of sin for man and on it He killed sin. The cross is something Jesus took up voluntarily, and not something that was imposed on Him.

The cross is a sacrifice and not a burden. Therefore, serving God entails you sacrifice worldly pleasures (besetting sins and weights), even if it involves rejection by the world. It involves a willingness to accept ostracism and unpopularity with the world for the sake of your service to God. How much are you willing and ready to sacrifice to serve God effectively?

Let me leave you to ponder on Gal. 6:14, “As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the worlds interest in me has also died” (NLT).

Stay blessed.