The Journey to the Cross in ASLSample

The Weight of the Cross

“Take up your cross and follow me.” - Jesus 

It’s a statement and command that we don’t often talk about. Even when pastors say it, we tend to overlook it and not give it much deep thought. Let’s pause for a minute and write down what comes to your mind when you see the phrase “take up your cross.” Most people will think it means to physically carry a cross. But, Jesus wasn’t talking about a physical cross.

In Jesus’ time, a cross was the symbol of brutal death. To die on a cross was the worst kind of death. Yet, Jesus told us to take it up and follow in His footsteps.

So you see that taking up your cross isn’t physical, but it’s about considering the cost of following Christ every day. It’s about dying to yourself. Dying to self puts away selfish and sinful ways and instead lives for God in every aspect. Philippians 1:21 tells us, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is to gain.”  Though as long as we live, we shall proclaim the glory of Christ just as when we die we shall do the same. Jesus’ death brought life.