Words from the Rock
And unless you are willing to take up your cross and come with me, you are not fit to be my disciples. If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it.
Matthew 10:38–39 CEV
Some people think the image of a cross is lovely. You see artistic versions of it in churches, on walls, even around people’s necks. But back when Jesus made this statement, the cross was equivalent to a hangman’s noose or an electric chair. It was the symbol of death. To “take up your cross” meant being ready to die for something—or someone. It was a total commitment—no backing down, all the way.
And that’s the “invitation” Jesus was offering his disciples? Death? As devoted as they were to him, it must’ve been fairly startling to hear those words. Imagine these guys scratching their heads and glancing nervously at each other. Was Jesus really asking them to die for him? If so, was that a price they were willing to pay? Perhaps at the time of hearing this, they weren’t too sure. But before their lives ended (mostly by painful executions), Jesus’s disciples would not only come to grips with this invitation, they would gladly accept it.
What does that mean for you? Is Jesus asking you to die for him too? Maybe. But more than that, he’s asking you to live for him. He’s asking you to put aside personal goals and selfish dreams and to come to him for direction. He’s inviting you to trust him so completely that you’re willing to put your life in his hands. Because he knows if you try to live life your way, it will only disappoint you. But the way to a real life—one that’s fulfilling and rewarding and genuine—is by receiving it from him.
My Prayer
Dear God,
Help me to accept your invitation to a real life. Show me how to set aside my ways in exchange for your ways.
Amen.
Final Word
In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.
John 12:25 Message
Stone for the Journey
If I cling to my life, it will vanish, but in God’s hands it will flourish.