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“Cross Reveals Our Sinful Soul! (C.R.O.S.S)”

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

June 15, 2009

Editors Note: The devotional has a background song  which can be heard if you use Internet Explorer.

SCRIPTURE:
"But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men. "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Mark 8:33-34, NIV)

OBSERVATION:
I asked myself what did Jesus do after rebuking Peter?
Jesus called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:
1. If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and
2. If anyone would come after me, he must take up his cross and
3. If anyone would come after me, he must follow me.

I decided to look at point two today.

INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself what is the significance of Jesus saying, 'he must take up his cross'?'
Jesus had stated to the crowds and his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself' and now goes a step further to talk about the cross. Here too Jesus is alluding to what He would do by denying Himself for the sake of humanity and shouldering the cross up to Golgotha for the sake of humanity. Carrying a cross is not easy especially since it is so heavy, so burdensome, and painful. Yet, we know that Jesus literally did exactly that  for all of us to bring us back to God when Jesus died on the cross shedding His precious cleansing blood, was buried, and came back to life on the 3rd day to save.

Jesus wants anyone who would come after Him to shoulder their own cross in life to come after Him. But this is figurative in nature because Jesus is emphasizing what the cross represents to the crowds and disciples. First and foremost Jesus is saying that it is not easy for anyone to 'take up his cross' and it is an act of sacrifice in a person's life, the sacrifice being to surrender their lives to the will of God and His ways even though it could be heavy in their lives, so burdensome, and painful to them. Yet, this is the cost to come after Jesus.

In essence, Jesus is saying that it is not easy to come after Him so a person needs to count the cost if they want to come after Jesus. Sadly, in today's society the 'cost of following Jesus' is ignored.

Many think they can come after Jesus and then go their own way again as long as they know they are baptized. The whole symbolism behind baptism is to make the old life dead burying it and drowning it in water, and come out as a new person and a new life in Christ.  The Book of Romans addresses this powerfully. This starts with denying ourselves and picking up our cross to come after Jesus. That is what I believe  Jesus wanted the crowds to know but it does not end there. Neither you nor I can take up our cross to follow Jesus on our own. It has to be act of God working through the power of the Holy Spirit.

(To be continued)

IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life. I need to shoulder my own cross if I want to go after Jesus. That means there could be things heavy in my life to carry, burdensome to carry, and even painful to carry which Jesus wants me to know about. The bottom line is that it is not easy to come after Jesus. If I still want to go after Jesus, I need to remember the things God asks me to do and be obedient remembering it could weigh heavy in my life, be burdensome to me, and even painful to me, but that is the right way to go. The heaviness, the burdensome, or pain could be a result of battling the flesh.

"Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING C.R.O.S.S:

I cannot say what I am asked to do is heavy, burdensome, and painful so let me give the commandment of obedience to someone else whatever the Lord is asking me to do.  If I do that, I am not carrying my own cross.  When it comes to Jesus, no one can carry my cross, so I can go after Jesus because no one can carry someone's own obedient calling to the Word of God.  If I am not carrying my own cross, I cannot go after Jesus. It is impossible to take up the cross and follow Jesus when I don't surrender my life daily over to Jesus. Yet, if I want to follow Jesus Christ, Jesus is reminding me the cost of following Him. It is not easy and at times very painful but it is worth it when seen in the light of the cross carried by Jesus Himself. 

Jesus is looking for those who will take up the cross to follow Him. There are things in my life I want to do and when I cannot do them or prevented from doing them because of what the Word of God says, being obedient has been heavy at times, burdensome at times, and painful at times.  Yet, I know obedience to the Lord and His Word is what I need to go after  even though my flesh wants to go its way. In essence, I need to take up my cross so I can go after Jesus depending on Him to guide me, lead me, teach me, and transform me by His SANCTIFYING GRACE.

Jesus is also saying that He wants the disciples and crowds to deny themselves and come to Him with their heaviness, burdens, and pain if they want to come after Him.

In essence, for me Jesus is sharing that He did not come for those who think they have it all together but came for those who carry heaviness, burdens, and pain in their life.

The heaviness, burden, and pain does not always have to be because of obedience but also because of man's disobedience. In this case, carrying the cross represents man's own disobedience. The Bible talks about those dying on a cross die a cursed death. When Jesus carried the cross, He was carrying the cross not because of His own disobedience since He was perfect but for our disobedience. Listen to the background song, 'The Hammer'

"He who had no sin became sin for us"

"While we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us"

So, Jesus wants me to come to Him with all my disobedience and lay it on the cross of Calvary where He alone can absorb it all. Jesus died on the cross so He can give me the antidote for this deadly virus known as sin that causes disobedience. The antidote is the purest and reddest liquid known to mankind. It is so think and pure that only one drop of blood could cleanse one man/woman of all their sin when they receive that drop into their lives.

When Jesus paid the ransom for my sins with His own precious blood, Jesus did it for the entire human race of those in the past, present, and future. But each of us need to carry our cross and lay it at the foot of the Cross of Christ and exchange that for His antidote for our lives. God made a way through Christ for my redemption so I can deny myself, pick up my cross, and surrender all to Jesus.

The reason is God in His Holiness cannot allow sin into His presence and that is why God went through such a length to ensure our own Salvation through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for the redemption of our own lives when Jesus died, was buried, and came back to life to save to all those that believed in Him. Believing in Him is not passive but active. I am glad that He chose me to be His and wants me to take up the cross doing my part with the free will He gave me so He can do His ULTIMATE PART.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, our toiling is in vain!" (Psalm 127:1)

I know apart from Jesus Christ, I cannot carry my own cross but with the help of Jesus Christ, I can and so can you! For me it started on Valentine's Day on February 14, 1985 but everyday is a sanctifying process as I depending on His GRACE ALONE to transform me and change me. That is so exciting! Praise the Lord!

I ask you now dear friend, how can  you take up your cross in life?
Dear friend, to come after Jesus we all need to know how to take up our cross. It starts with an acknowledgement that we cannot take up our cross on our own. Our flesh will not reveal the sinful nature of our heart. We need outside interference to do that and thanks be to God for intervening in His creation so we can take up the cross by giving us His instruction manual in the Word of God. The Word of God reveals to us the blueprint of how we can take up our cross in life.

Here we learn that we do not let heaviness, burdens, or pain to stop us from being obedient to Christ and His Word, the Bible. For that to happen, we must ask Jesus to give us the faith to believe 'Bible is the Word of God' and take the Truths to heart to transform and change us as only Christ can. We need to carry all the heaviness, burdens, and pain to Jesus. For Jesus alone can take our heaviness, burdens, and pain and fill it with His peace and strength. For in Christ alone can we truly be free. We need to lay all our heaviness, burdens, and pain at the foot of the Cross of Christ by realizing that many times the heaviness, burdens, and pain is a result of sin.

It is not a one time thing where we take our cross one day and then the rest of the days allow our flesh to take over.  Jesus did not place any timeline when it comes to going after Jesus. We have to take it up daily.

Jesus said, 'if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross'

Once again, this is a daily thing and not a one time thing. To come after Jesus, the cost is surrendering of our lives everyday to Jesus. It is to acknowledge all the cross we carry each day can only be absorbed by Jesus Christ upon the cross He carried and died upon for our redemption.

So for me I do not believe it is good enough for me to say to Jesus, 'Jesus, I carried my cross to come after you on so and so date. Thanks for absorbing all my sin and cleansing me of all my sin. I will see you in Heaven Jesus when I die. Now since you have forgiven me of all my sin and wiped my slate clean, I don't have to worry about how I live my life. I can do whatever I want to and live however I want to because I am already saved'

Sadly, friend this hypothetical is not really a hypothetical at all because I have heard people say that 'since they are already a Christian and going to heaven, they can live their life however they want to.

How can we reconcile denying ourselves and taking our cross to go after Jesus and then going after the things of the world.?

Jesus says, 'We cannot serve two masters for we will love the one and hate the other'

This is not to say we all must be living a perfect life to go after Jesus because we cannot unless we allow the Holy Spirit to transform us daily and work in our lives to bear good fruit.

"He who began a good work in us will finish it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ!"

We cannot save ourselves on our own and need Christ to save us. Since we cannot save ourselves on our own and Christ saves us, we cannot go back to our old ways away from our Lord and Personal Savior.

I have not lived a perfect life because I have not always denied myself or picked up my cross, but the key is realizing that I have sinned, confessing that sin, and being restored to fellowship with Jesus. That is the key for everyone.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

But, if I don't acknowledge something that is considered a sin and continue to do that not caring what the Word of God says then once again I am putting myself below what God's Word and standard is for my life. I do not want to do that and neither should you.

May you and I know Christ redeems offering Scripture's Salvation! This means it is not our definition of Salvation that saves us but Scripture's definition of Salvation.

It starts with 'It is by grace we have been saved through faith and not of works that anyone should boast. We are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works'

The good works are a result of allowing Christ to transform our lives and be our Lord and Personal Savior. The fruit we bear we can only bear because we are surrendering ourselves to Christ and His Word daily.

I am so comforted to know that no matter how many times I mess up, when I go to Jesus acknowledging I have messed up and ask His forgiveness, He is ready to forgive and restore my fellowship with Him.

Only when I think that I am not sinning ,when I am actually sinning, is when I hurt that fellowship with Christ because I am basically calling God a liar by saying what I am doing is not sin and continuing to do that.

Friends whatever I share with you, please test it with Scripture because God's Word is the final authority on everything. That is why it is so important to know Scripture ourselves from Genesis to Revelation. I want us to follow God's Word always. There maybe times I may share something that I need to be corrected from Scripture. Jesus will help you and me take up the cross to follow Him.

IN SUMMARY APPLICATION REGARDING C.R.O.S.S:

If I want to follow Jesus, I need to take up the cross in my life everyday to follow Him knowing He wants to bear all my burdens and give me rest because of the finished work Jesus already did on the Cross of Calvary forgiving my past, present, and future sins.

May you take up the cross each day to follow Jesus knowing cross reveals our sinful soul but Christ's redemption offers Scriptures salvation.

"Cross Reveals Our Sinful Soul! (C.R.O.S.S)"/"How can you take up your C.R.O.S.S. in life?

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for the cross and what you did on the cross for us. Oh Lord, you want us to come after you by denying ourselves first and taking up our cross. Help us to do that Lord, for in our flesh we cannot do that. But, I want to thank you so much that you carried your own cross to Calvary and absorbed all our sins upon your body while you were nailed to the cross to take humanity's sin upon yourself. Then, you released the purest and reddest antidote for all humanity to take only if they turn to you. When you died on the cross, I believe the portal to our wicked heart had an opening where that opening could be filled with your blood that would spread across the wicked heart cleansing us completely. That only happened because you absorbed all our sin and the wicked hearts upon the cross and gave us an opportunity to receive your Salvation. You gave us a promise that you must be lifted high and all those that look to you will be saved. Thank you for saving me because I have looked to you, for cleansing me with your precious cleansing blood. I need your help to surrender my life to you daily denying myself and carrying my cross knowing you are there to take care of me. Help others who need to do the same. I pray for the one who is searching and needs you. Please help them Lord. Thank you Jesus. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior. I am so touched that you the God of the Universe came to save me because your desire has been that none should perish but all come to repentance. At the same time, you don't force yourself into our lives making us robots but have given us the opportunity to choose you as you chose humanity first to save them.  Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me! Thank you for saving us when we turn to you. Thanks for coming into our heart and making our heart your home as we yield to you. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help! But beware of churches who do believe in the Word of God completely but there is no freedom in Christ but legalism involved.

As a professional, it is not too late to join a church! As a student, it is not too late to join a fellowship on campus this  new year of 2009! May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His love now and forever! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!

Spend time in His word and let the Lord speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through.  Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in Bible Live Eternally!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-720-4579

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Love in Christ,
Ramesh

Express Your View

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