My Cross

Another hot one, but it is August!  Will be working us some tomatoes with Teresa this weekend.  Celinda will be coming down sometime next month to work some up and take them home.  We give a few away, but not all that many, between us and you kids we are making good use of them.  Squash on the other hand we have to put in the back seat of strangers’ cars in the parking lots.....no, not really, but it is tempting.

Made it to the therapist’s just in time to greet him as he was going out the door on an emergency call; he had tried calling by I had already left.  So will try again tomorrow, won’t be much good afterwards, but ain’t much good right now anyway.  For some reason, both Carla and I are having a time with headaches – Carla doesn’t get them very often and hers has pretty much dissipated, but mine are sinus and they have the same intensity as migraines – not fun, but it will pass.  

Luke 9:22-24   Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
²³ And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
²⁴ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

There is a price to be paid when we declare we are followers of Christ.  Jesus promised salvation through His death and resurrection; salvation is a gift freely given to us by God’s glorious Grace.  However, there is a price to be paid when we become followers of Christ.

If God would not withhold the suffering from Christ, how can we expect Him to withhold it from us?  Jesus expects us to follow Him with complete dedication to Him.  If it means we are to suffer, so be it, that is just part of what is expected of us.  It should be noted, we are given fair warning and there is no apologies for the ‘discomfort’ we may feel in our service to Him.

Each of us has a mission that God expects us to perform.  Not always is it clear from one day to the next, but He knows and we must trust Him.  Jesus tells us we must pick up our cross daily; every – single - day.  My cross is not the same as yours or anyone else’s; as we are unique so are the expectations God has of us.

We are individuals and God treats us as such.  He may put some Christians through incredibly soul wrenching periods in their lives – while others seem to skate and never seem to do much suffering at all. 

God may decide to try us to the limit – and no more – of what we are able to endure by faith in Him.  1 Corinthians 10:15  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Zechariah 13:9  And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

God told His people, the Jews, that there will be times of trial.  That He will test and try His people as they refine silver and gold – using intense heat to get the impurities out and making the metal more valuable.  They will be pure as the finest gold or silver when they come out of the fire, IF they trust and call on Him.  They will be that much more effective in their service to Him. 

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
³ Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
⁴ But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

God has not changed.  God wants His people to be purified and righteous.  He will allow temptations to come on us; He will allow us to go through times of sorrow and struggle, even with our faith.  He wants the impurities of our person burned away so that only a servant of God, that He can use, remains.

It is interesting how some people equate Christians with a namby pamby religion.  Soft and ineffective, Christianity is only to be used as a crutch by weak people.

Reminds me of the story of a bully picking on a Christian carrying a bible in a rough part of town.  Telling him he was a sissy for believing in God.  He slapped him around a bit and the Christian did not respond.  He called him a coward.  The Christian looked at him and said, you take the Bible and walk down the street – the bully refused to do it – he would be made fun of by other people.  Now, who was afraid and too weak to walk?

Following Christ, obeying Him, serving Him is not for those with a weak spiritual heart.  We never know when we are going to face a challenge of faith; we never know what satan has in store for us just around the corner.  One moment we are sailing through life and the next we are capsized on a stormy sea with no shore or help in sight.  Satan will do all he can to generate fear and doubt within our hearts, but if we rely on God, no matter what happens He will see us through.  We may not realize it as we are experiencing it, but He is there and will not fail us – only we can separate us from Him.

Today, right now, thousands of Christians are undergoing incredible trials and tribulations in this world.  They are being threatened, beaten, incarcerated, and separated from family, home and even their country.  Hundreds are being killed for their stand for Christ.  They are carrying a very heavy cross in their service to God.  If/when that should happen to me, am I capable of standing strong for Christ?  Could I carry such a heavy cross?

My cross is made of balsa wood the size of a couple of tooth picks in comparison – yet, I still find days that I struggle to even think about carrying it. 

There is, of course, relief as we pray, meditate on God’s Word and acknowledge that we are not in this life alone, His Holy Spirit has been sent to teach, guide and comfort us.  We just need to take a couple deep breaths, lean over and pick that cross up – He will help us carry it, no matter how heavy it may be.

Later, Art :-)