Cross Burdensome (Essentials Green ‘09)
I had some ponderings about the C.S. Lewis Giving all to Christ as well as the other excepts in Preparing for the Spiritual Life. The common theme is that of surrender and total commitment yet the ambiguity for me lies in on whose shoulders that burden lies.
We often associate Christianity as meaning:
“Whosoever does not pick up His cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”.
The Christian journey is often placed on our shoulders yet Christ states:
” 28″Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
So whose responsibility is it for us to truly follow Christ? Is it ours or Christ’s or both? I think that we can place too much pressure on ourselves and beat ourselves up even though there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
Clearly the most important commandment is found in Mark 12:33 – “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Indeed God is not requiring sacrifices from us, he is requiring us to be a sacrifice!
I understand one definition of love to simply be a decision, commitment and a covenant, a choice. We love God when we choose to trust Him. When we choose to Love God we choose to trust God. The scripture in Mark is referring to us choosing to follow Christ with all of our being, choosing to Love and live for God! It is not placing a burden of lawful thinking and bondage on us!
I’ve found that every battle fought in my Life is won in learning how to simply trust God with child like faith. When we pick up our cross Jesus does not expect us to attempt this awesome feat on our lonesome, but is rather an invitation for us to follow him and He carried His cross.
He invites us to partake in His suffering that we might partake in His Glory. What I believe the Lord is saying here is that we will suffer in this Christian life yet “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us”.
We must come to the realization that “unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor, labor in vain” – Psalm 127:1.
Our decision lies in whether we pick up the cross or not. Can you become accept the gift of Salvation and not carry your cross, yes. But in order to become Jesus’ disciple, or become like the Good Teacher you must choose to pick up your cross daily. But please do not attempt to pick of this cross by yourself, for you will be in utter misery. You will carry the cross indeed but you will not be resting and trusting in the lord. Rather you will have carried the burdensome cross without the help of your Lord!
Jesus showed us this example in Matthew 27:32″Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.” Understand that Jesus wants us to WANT to carry our cross; the soldiers (representative of evil) want us to be forced burdensomely to carry the cross.
Do not think it that you are the power behind your Christian life is your own intelligence, or strength; this is selfish ambition and religious and an evil way of thinking. Instead boast only in the Lord “and I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” – Phil 1:6
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