Take Up Your Cross

"Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:27
       Picture this for a moment. You have found your soulmate here on Earth. You love them more than you ever thought you could love anyone. You love spending time with him (or her), talking with him, laughing together, and sharing your soul with him. Suddenly, he asks you if you would die for them. Think for a moment. What would you say?      What if that person told you to be with him, you would have to be tortured, whipped, and hung on a cross for three days in order to be with them. What would you say then?      This is what Christ did for us. This is simply incomprehensible. Why would a God bigger than the universe send his only son to go through hell on Earth just so he could be with us? We are humans. We have hardly anything to offer the King of Kings. He did all of this so he could be with us. He loves us that much, times infinity. And yet we ignore Him daily. Why?      I encourage you to take up your cross daily, and to think about what that really means. Are you willing to leave everything behind, carry your cross, and even hang on it for your Savior? James said, "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (2:17) This means, every day, we must be reminded of what Jesus did for us, and not only acknowledge it, but show it in our actions. Put some sticky notes up around your room with Bible verses. Get creative and paint crosses on canvas. Go shopping for little reminders you can put around your room. And get up with God every day. Spend time in His word and pray fervently that you will walk in his will day by day. And be joyful in Christ your Savior! He loves you more than it can be explained.