Luke 9:23-24 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
In our last series, we establish three instructions that Jesus gave for us to be intimate with Him from the above scripture- Deny Self, take up his cross daily, and follow Him. We have considered denying self in the last series.
Take up your cross daily
The cross in the life of a believer means living a crucified life daily. Living a crucified life is accepting the death, pain, and suffering that goes with following Jesus daily.
Many believers are not able to be intimate with Christ because they fail to identify with the cross. The cross of Jesus was of shame, pain, agony, rejection, loneliness, and death. It is the same path that He took that we must take. He took the path knowing that there was a glorification at the end.
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The Cross has to be personal to you. It is your cross you must make it personal. Peter carried His cross so did Paul and all the Apostles in their journey to become intimate with Christ. All carried their cross different in manner but similar in nature and characteristics. Let us examine a few of what the Bible revealed about the daily cross that Paul had to carry in His journey to be intimate with Jesus Christ.
1. In darkness (without sight) and without food for three days after His first encounter with Jesus. Act 9:9.
2. He lost his celebrity status with the people and became an enemy they lay waiting to kill. Act 9:22-24.
3. Daily he was living with the fear of being killed that he has to be smuggled by night to escape. Act 9:25.
4. He was led to separate himself for three years living in Arabia. It was a time of personal study. Galatians 1:17.
5. He was led to stay with Peter in Jerusalem for fifteen days to learn and get practical testimonies of the life of Christ from him who saw him and walked with Him for about 3 years. Galatians 1:18.
These are a few of the sacrifices that Paul had to go through in the quest of knowing Jesus Christ and getting acquainted and intimate with Him. Paul lived a crucified life and became one of the Chief Apostles.
Do you want to be intimate with Him? Then be ready to carry your cross daily. It is a journey of pain, agony, rejection, loneliness, and death that will lead to a joyous, victorious, and miraculous life in Jesus Christ.
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