Jesus teaches us in Matthew 16 that in order to follow him we must lose our life for his sake and that of the gospel. Jesus and his will must take first place in our hearts. Only when Christ takes over our lives we will bear good fruit to the glory of God.
The concept of following is not a popular one in our culture. Successful and popular individuals lead, they do not follow. To follow makes a person look weak in the eyes of the world. Not the disciples of Jesus. Jesus invites us to follow him.
What is the point of carrying this heavy cross? Why does God allow such heavy burdens in the lives of his children he loves? Why not just carry the load for us or get rid of it altogether?
Each one of us must carry our cross. That is the reality of this broken world we live in, where our cross, or circumstances, are part of the journey we must travel to get to the other side. We are being offered a cross by God himself and we must take hold of it by our own accord. Jesus calls us to choose the cross. The image of the cross is meant to represent death – the death of self and sin.
In our modern society, we are taught to believe that we are in control of our lives and that we can be like God. But this way of life creates fear of failure and lack of control. Self-denial stands in contrast to this trend of self-reliance but a total surrender to God is the only way to a life of peace and joy.
As sinful humans, we are always caught in a battle of two wills: God’s will and our own. But if we want to grow as followers of Christ and lead a Christ-centered life as his apprentices, we will have to let go of our own will and be driven by God’s purpose and glory. Our personality, possessions and plans must all be laid at the feet of Jesus.
God wants a relationship with us regardless of all our messes and misdemeanours. This why he sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins, to cleanse us and permanently close the chasm between us and God. Jesus also taught his disciples how to surrender and is the ultimate example for us in submitting to the will of God.
Innately, humans want to be the best and the greatest. Our culture demands that we take control and make our dreams come true. But who is in control? Do we want to take the reigns from Jesus? What does the Bible teach us about control and surrender?