Making Sense Out of Life (3)

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” Matt 16:24 (NIV)

Life without Jesus doesn’t make sense. You can spend your life succumbing to the current of busyness and end up weary and depleted. You can slither down the fast lane of materialism and land on the island of emptiness. Life just won’t make sense without Jesus.

Jesus says to come after Him you must deny yourself and take up His cross. To take up His cross is to identify with Jesus in His shame, suffering, and death. The cross was a horrific means of capital punishment. The Romans reserved this method of death for their enemies.

• “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross!” Phil 2:8 (NIV)
• “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1-2 (NIV)

For you to take up His cross daily is to willingly surrender your life to Jesus in every area of your life. Choose to identify with Jesus through your obedience to God’s Word and through your diligence in serving others. Even in the hard seasons of life, choose to identify with Christ.  

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor