Take up Your Cross

When you think about what Christianity has to offer you, is this what you see? Just a person and their cross, is that what it's all about? Recently, I have been battling with God about what I should be doing with my life and my faith. His answer, was to lead me to Luke 14:26-35. For those of you who are wondering, this is the passage where Jesus talks about a person carrying his cross and following Jesus.


Here are a few of the things implicated  by this passage:

1) Before you can be devoted to God in discipleship, you must be willing to give up everything for the sake of following Him. In verse 26, he tells us to not regard personal relationships above following Him. In verse 28 and 31 He talks about counting the cost before deciding to commit. In reality, this is a problem in Christianity - and the world for that matter- that we lack true commitment. We want for all the blessings, we expect good gifts, but we are not committed enough to lay aside those things which withhold us from fully living out the gospel in our communities and world.

2) Discipleship is worthless when you hold on to this world. In verse 34 & 35, Jesus explains that salt that is no longer salty is useless. What does that mean to us? In part, I think it means this: if you are not able to be the right kind of person to impact this world for Christ, you are useless as an ambassador. In other words, you are wasting both your time and His.

Take this image and consider this. If that salt were worthless, the man has a handful of nothing. However, it that salt were of purest quality, then the man in the picture has the best enhancement for his sustenance that anyone could hope for. The reality is, he won't know unless he tastes the salt. In the same way, people won't know what Christ has to offer them until they interact with you, a Christian. Therefore, you must ask yourself this question: do I give people the best of Christ when I deal with them, or do I give them something else? Unless you are committed to Christ, you really have very little to offer this world that is of any lasting value. It may sound harsh, but it is true. Either you live for Christ, or live for Satan. You either exemplify Jesus in your life, or you are doing exactly what the devil wants you to do.

Just think about it.