Carrying the Cross

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

Luke 9:23 - Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 

GREEK TERMS:

θέλει (thelei) - Wishes or Wants 

The desire to leave everything aside and get hold to the Will of God.

ἔρχεσθαι ὀπίσω (opisō erchesthai) - Come After or Disciple

To sacrifice ourself to become His Disciple.

ἀρνη σάσθω (arnē sasthō) - Must Deny 

It's a Must to Deny one's own desire, thoughts, plans and commit to God.

ἀράτω σταυρὸν (aratō stauron) - Take up their Cross

The Cross which is made just for us, each one carries his own cross even though it seems tough to carry it.

καθ’ (kath) - Daily

The Cross must be carried everyday, till the last breath of our lives, whether the journey is long and thorny or the Cross seems heavy.

ἀκολουθείτω (akoloutheitō) - Follow 

Once we follow the Lord, there is no turning back. We may get back lashes or we may be tempted to turn back while looking at the passangers who pass by. But there is no turning back.

POINT TO BE NOTED:

1. The one who takes the Cross must follow the Lord.

2. The Cross is a Must to be carried on the shoulder.

3. There is no rest while we are on our daily journey.

4. In this journey of Life we may feel lonely.

5. The path that we walk might be thorny.

6. The Cross might be heavy.

7. We may be having sickness.

8. We may suffer financially.

9. People might mock us.

10. There is no stopping while we are walking with the Cross.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

The one who has accepted Christ as their personal saviour will definitely be blessed with a Cross, especially the one who is called, chosen, elected and appointed by God, that person whether it's a He or a She will definitely have a heavy Cross to carry, a rocky path filled with thorns to pass. The Cross is given for us so that we may excel in every every task planned by God. If we want something or if we desire to do ministry for God, He won't allow us easily, God won't give us the thing we ask for. He will make our situations and the surrounding so tough that when we pass the given trail, the reward which we were expecting will be far better than we have ever wanted. 

A soldier is given a rucksack, a rucksack is a large backpack carried by soldiers that contains essentials like food, water, clothing, weapons, and survival gear, which goes upto 20-40kg. Every soldier must carry a rucksack on his soldiers. The rucksack contains all his necessary needs to feed him, for sleeping, drinking, first aid, also weapons and survival kits. When the need comes the soldier has to decide what to use at the specific need. The soldier won't take the food when the enemy is shooting the gun. He will take the weapon to fight against the enemy. In the same way, God has already given us a Cross and along with the Cross we have the Spiritual Armour of God.

WORD OF THE DAY: 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if we have the Cross, then we have His Grace too. If we cry out in desert, He will help us face it bravely. When we fail, take the armour of God that are the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness the feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ask the Lord to Anointing you with His Oil, with His Fire, with His Blood, with His Presence and His Glory. You will know how to handle your Cross easily with the Lord. You are not alone, we all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, have the Cross, let us March faithfully to the goal which Christ has kept for us and win the race. May the Father in Heaven bless all of you.

INTROSPECTING TIME:

1. What kind of Cross has God kept for me?

2. Why do I struggle with my problems and cannot overcome it?

3. If I deny carrying the Cross will the Lord still forgive me?

4. The Cross feels so heavy, it's too much to carry, how shall I ease myself and find solutions?

5. I don't want to turn back in this life journey, but still my body and emotions don't work, will God help me?

WORD OF PRAYER:

Dear Lord, we ask you to anoint us. Help us O Lord, to carry our own cross. May our lives please you Lord. May every good things and learning experiences we come across, let it build us and make us your child. In Jesus's name we ask in Faith.

Amen