"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (Matthew 16:24)
"Must Jesus bear the cross alone, and all the world go free? No there's a cross for everyone, and there's a cross for me."
Why does there have to be a cross? Why did Jesus have to die on a cross? It is clear that the Old Testament prophesied to what would happen to the Messiah. Read Isaiah 53.
Jesus referred to the lifting up of the bronze snake on a pole to save those who were bitten by snakes because of their disobedience to God. (John 3:14-15) In the same way, Jesus must be lifted up as a sacrifice for the world to see, to be payment for the sins of the world.
Then there comes the question: Why do we have to bear a cross?
The answer is clear in our text: If we desire to follow Jesus, a cross is in the equation. It is part of the life of a Christian.
If Jesus was willing to die on a cruel, humiliating, agonizing cross for us, shouldn't we be willing to suffer for Him?
Yes, there is a cross for all of us, if we choose to follow Jesus.
It is indeed a test of our love for Him. Are you willing to bear your cross for Jesus today? GP
Photo by Naypong. Published on 05 November 2014 Stock photo - Image ID: 100296178
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