THE CROSS

By Rick Mathes

(Author of “Allah or Jesus”)

One Christmas years ago the men at our Fort Good Shepherd Ranch wanted to decorate our “Cross on the Landing” on the Meramec River with blinking lights and tinsel garland for Christmas. I about had a stroke! “I this was an electric chair our Lord was murdered in would you do the same?” I yelled at them. I couldn’t believe that the Cross was just an icon to use for decoration while it was the turning point of the world’s future, greater than the creation!

What has happened is that current Christianity has moved away from the standards of the New Testament and Holy intentions of the founding fathers. Jesus commanded us to pick up our cross and follow Him. In fact He said that if we don’t we are not worthy to follow Him. I can think of three ways this can be interpreted, take your choice or some combination thereof.

First, when we become a Christian, make Him our Lord and change our evil ways, old friends and even some family are not going to believe us. Those who are unbelievers are going to do all they can to trip us up and mock our faith for our faults and temporary slips. They will be encouraging maybe in words but while they go about their normal daily sinning, they really wish we would fall and join them.

Secondly, we can label the cross we bear as the “consequence of our sins.” Broken marriages, fractures families, felony record, AIDS, and much more are all directly attributable to the sin we wallowed in much like a cesspool bubbling up from Hades. We can’t blame anyone but ourselves for the casualty of our sinfulness. Suicide was certainly an option many of us thought seriously about but going to Hell is so final. There isn’t a “Plan B.” in Hell. So for those of us saved by Jesus understand that we can still pick up the pieces and press on!

Lastly, I know what Jesus really intended by that statement, “Take up your cross and follow me.” He meant for us to take up that death-stake, crawl up on that cross and dies to our sins, every day. It is only in doing so that we can rise with Him to a resurrection of a new life in Him and in glory forever.

Don’t wait until you die. Die to sin and live to Him now because if you are His your eternal life has begun today! We must endure the cross and despise its shame for the joy that is set before us.