The recognition, part 9: the Joy

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. (Luke 9:23 NASB)

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 NASB)

The cross of Jesus was a terrible thing. It was viciously brutal, terrifyingly painful, and sickeningly shameful. We have become so accustomed to the fact of Jesus's death on the cross that we no longer see it as unconscionable that the Spotless Lamb of God should suffer on the cross in our place. Jesus did not endure the cross for fun or because of a whim on the part of His Father. He endured it because we could not, we would not. We, who are so enamored of sin that we do not avoid it, had a death-deserving sin penalty that only He, who was so deeply enamored of us, could pay. It was His love for us that required the cross. 

The only sensible, reasonable response to that kind of love, that kind of sacrifice is deep, abiding gratitude and love in return, as well as a desire to follow wherever He may lead. What Jesus has said is that we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. Why would we refuse Him? Why would we dare?  This One who has done so much for us asks us to do so little in comparison to His own sacrifice. We must not fail in obedience. 

The enemy of our soul would have us believe that this cross-taking is too burdensome, too painful, too terrible.  It is not. Our Lord, who despised the shame of the cross, endured the whole terrible ordeal because He knew that, at the end of the hard time, at the end of His suffering, was JOY. Who would expect the outcome of the cross to be joy? Only Jesus. 

If the outcome of cross-bearing is joy, and the writer of Hebrews tells us it is, why would we avoid it? Dear ones, the time for reckless abandon of our own cross is long past. The time of accounting draws near, when we will give an accounting of all that we have done and not done. We will account for our cross-bearing and our lack of it. We must embrace the cross to which God has called us, and we must follow Jesus. There is no other option that will give us joy in the end. 

Press on. Press on with your cross and endure all the way to the joy that waits ahead. 

The Recognition, part 8: The Daily Cross

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. (Luke 9:23 NASB)

The word translated as "daily" is hēmera, and is used to indicate a period of time. It can, as the translation here, indicate a day, but it is translated elsewhere as a lifetime. Perhaps both translations are pertinent. Following Jesus requires that we deny ourselves and pick up our cross, our destiny, that way in which we make the most impact for Christ. 

It is all too common to pick up our cross once or twice, find it difficult, then lay it down again. Jesus, however, was clear. Taking up our cross is to be a daily act of submission to Him. It is to be an act of  hēmera, of daily surrender every day for the rest of our lives. That "every day for the rest of our lives" seems a little overwhelming doesn't it? We have a tendency to think, "No one does anything 'for the rest of their life'!" That, of course is not true. We awaken, have a cup of coffee, bathe, get dressed, eat a meal, go to work. What we do on a daily basis becomes so routine that, in a way, it is nearly effortless, or at least much easier. 

When we take up our cross daily, it eventually becomes our "routine", as well. It becomes a part of us, and we miss that surrender when we omit it. If you fail to eat breakfast before leaving for work, you notice it. In much the same way, omitting Christ from your day can become just as noticeable, just as uncomfortable.  Omitting Christ from our day should be not only uncomfortable, it should become unbearable. 

It is when we make this taking up of the cross a daily part of our lives that we can enjoy the sweet fellowship with our Lord that He intended. It is only in the denying of self and taking up of our cross that we become true followers of Christ. Our Lord did not say we could take up our cross if it was convenient or if we wanted to do it. He was clear. If we want to follow Him, then we will take up our cross, and we will take it up daily. It is not optional. 

As we begin our day, may be be so eager to follow Him that we willingly take up the cross, knowing that we do not bear it alone and that it brings the sweetness of communion with our Lord, all along the way. 

Flinging Food

Belle, our very beautiful Quarter Horse, has taught herself a new trick, and I can't say I'm pleased. This morning, she went into her stall for breakfast, stuck her lovely head into the feed trough, and immediately began flipping that fine head back and forth, flinging food out of the trough. She made several passes through the feed, then settled down to eat. In the process, she lost a fair amount of her meal. 

Lest you think that something was "in" her trough and she was just trying to get it out, let me assure you that the trough was fine less than sixty seconds prior, when I put the feed in there. Unfortunately, this is not the first time she's done the head-flipping, feed-flinging trick. She persists despite the fact that the "flung food" is never replaced. My explanations about wasting food and starving horses around the world have not helped, nor has putting the feed in the trough while she watches. When she's in a mood to fling, she just flings. Belle is extravagant with her feed and wasteful, as well. When I see her flinging the feed out of her trough, it does not make me want to feed her more. Less, maybe, but not more. 

As I watched feed falling to the floor this morning, I wondered how God views my extravagances with the resources He has entrusted to me. Does He sometimes shake His head and think, "If she could be more faithful with what I've already given her, I could trust her with more?" How does He view my waste? My lack of stewardship over some of the things He's entrusted to me? Frankly, God has blessed me with so much that I find it nearly impossible to responsibly manage it all. 

In fact, I'm not the only one with extravagances, nor am I the worst. We live in a nation of extravagance and we are a decadent society. You may disagree with me, but take a look at the definition of "decadent" and you might change your mind. "Low morals and a great love of pleasure", "luxuriously self-indulgent", "decay in standards or morals". Does that sound at all like our country? 

Scripture tells us, "From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more."(Luke 12:48 NASB) WE are the ones who have been given much, and much will be required of us. Those are frightening words to me. Much will be required of us. It is required of stewards that they be found faithful (1Cor 4:2) and that is exactly the requirement for which we, who have been entrusted as stewards of wealth and freedom, will one day give account.

It breaks my heart to see the tragedies around the world, the hungry people, the homeless people. It breaks my heart that I could do more, but don't, because of my own extravagance. By the standards of many, I'm not at all extravagant, but by the standards of most people in our world, I am, and you are, too. I am not proposing that we stop enjoying the blessings God has given, but perhaps a little less pleasure would be in order. Perhaps a little less self-indulgence might allow us to give more, help more, do more. Those of us who can help, should help. 

Dear ones, take a few moments to consider your own stewardship of the blessings God has entrusted to you.  Have you invested in the Kingdom of God? Have you made a lifestyle of generosity toward those in need? How will you give an accounting when that time comes? 

May we not be like Belle, needlessly extravagant and wasteful. Instead, let's make a habit of generosity and splurge on giving so that, when the time for accounting comes, we will have only good news to report to the One who has given so much to us. 

The light in the pocket

As the wonder dogs and I made our way to the barn this morning, it was incredibly dark. The sliver of moon gave barely enough light to see a hint of the gravel path before us. When we arrived at the barn, the dogs did fine. I, however, tripped over the feed pallet, ran into the manure-filled wheelbarrow, and stumbled over the doorjamb on my way to turn on the lights. 

Walking back home, I thought that, had I known how dim the moonlight would be, I would've left the lights on last night. I hate to admit it, but I grumbled intermittently about my banged up shins  all the way home. Just as I got to the gate at my house, I slipped my hand into my pocket. You will not believe what I found! A flashlight. When I was stumbling around and banging my shins, all the light I needed to move around safely was in my pocket the entire time. I had never bothered to check.

I hate to admit it, but sometimes I stumble around in life that way, too. All the light I need for clarity is constantly available, and just a prayer away, but sometimes I don't even bother to check until I'm stumbling around, getting hurt by my own failure to seek guidance. How sad that the Light I need for life is much more accessible than the flashlight in the pocket. 

Maybe you never fail to seek direction from God, but more likely, you are a lot like me. Walking in the dark when it's not necessary. If so, you and I would both do well to take note of the Light of the World who has placed His light in us and shine accordingly. 

The Recognition, part 7: taking up

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. (Luke 9:23 NASB)

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. (John 19:17 NASB)

When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus. (Luke 23:26 NASB)

We turn again today to the very important concept of taking and bearing our cross. What Jesus said was that we had to "take up" our cross. He did not say we had to bear it all alone. On the night when our Lord was betrayed and arrested, He was beaten without mercy, bruised and battered for our sake. He was bearing His cross. Taking up that cross, however, began in the Garden of Gethsemane with His prayer of surrender, "Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done." When Jesus embraced the will of the Father and the cross that lay ahead, He was taking up His cross. Standing before Pilate and Herod, He was bearing His cross for us, as His destiny was to become the sacrifice for sin in our place. 

After a night of horrors, the soldiers lead Him out toward Golgotha. When they headed out, Jesus was not just taking up His cross but literally carrying His cross. The hours of beatings had taken a physical toll and the soldiers, who had also been up all night, likely wanted no further delay. Jesus, wounded and bleeding, might make the journey, but they could see it would take a while. Looking around, they spotted Simon of Cyrene in the crowd and "seized him" to carry the cross for Jesus. Simon's job was not to redefine the destiny nor to reroute the journey. He did not have to find God's will, nor like God's will. His job was simply to carry the cross. 

This is important, and I don't want us to miss it. Simon bore the burden for Jesus, and Jesus allowed it. Even in the worst time of His life, Jesus was demonstrating the importance of bearing one another's burdens. Jesus was not obeying the will of His Father any less by accepting Simon's help. In fact, Simon's assistance allowed Him to obey completely. 

If our Lord accepted assistance in carrying His burden, should we not also do the same? If the body of Christ is to function as Christ intended, we must be open to assisting those who are struggling as they work to do God's will. Just as important, however, we must be open to accepting the assistance of those God has "seized" to help us. Are you struggling in your journey of obedience? Is what God has called you to do far too difficult for you? When God sends help, if God sends help, consider accepting it. When Jesus struggled to carry the load, Simon was sent to help. Our Lord willingly accepted that help and we can do no less. 

Are you overwhelmed by the burden God has given? Sometimes He helps in supernatural ways, but sometimes He sends help "with skin on". Let God give you the help you need, no matter what way He chooses. 

Sabbath Rest

Mamie the Apprentice Wonder Puppy and Ole Lou have had a lazy day.  They have spent the afternoon stretched out on the patio, enjoying the breeze, while Maggie the Wonder Dog has been in my lap. There were so many things that needed doing that it was impossible to make a dent, so all we did after church was to water the plants in the greenhouse and watch the water on the lake.  

And ponder. I just love pondering, so I've pondered about the final formatting for the new book, pondered the direction of my first novel (the opening sentence has surprised me), and pondered the possibility of resuming making pottery and designing jewelry. I've pondered what kind of clothes I need for my CRI course and what the temperature will be in Nashville in November. That, not surprisingly, caused me to ponder whether or not they can accommodate my need for a gluten-free diet and how much peanut butter I will need to carry if not. I've pondered what to do to my landscaping around the patio and whether or not I can divide a rosemary bush. 

As always, my mind has gone ninety miles an hour, but, for a change, I haven't made an effort to answer any of the questions I have raised. It has been a peaceful, quiet afternoon of rest, and I am surprisingly refreshed. Best of all, on the way to the barn to feed the livestock, I stopped by the fig tree and was delighted to find two ripe figs waiting for me! (In case you missed it, I have blogged before about my daily fig.) 

I've had a Sabbath rest today, and it has reminded me once again that God established a day of rest for a reason. We need it. I need it. "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy," it says in Exodus 20:8. Imagine that! Sitting on my patio, doing nothing more difficult than holding my Wonder Dog while all the other animals lazed, watching the water shimmer in the sunlight, I've kept this day holy, and it has honored God. 

Being still. Keeping the day holy. Honoring God. It doesn't sound much like our typical busy lifestyle, does it?  Maybe it's time for change. I'm all in. What about you?

The Recognition, part 6: the cross

YouAnd He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. (Luke 9:23 NASB)

As if the denying of self was not hard enough, Jesus told the disciples that those who wished to come after Him would both deny themselves and take up their cross daily. This taking up our cross is sometimes a difficult concept. At the time Jesus said these words, He had not yet been crucified. He had, however, already taken up His cross. 

The cross was used as a form of execution by the Romans, on which criminals were crucified. Nailed to the wooden beams and left to die in the blazing sun, their deaths could be a prolonged agony. It was a horrible form of death. It was not only the instrument of death for Jesus but clearly no surprise to Him. It was the worst method of death by which He paid for the worst kind of sin. My sin. Your sin. 

The cross was, in a way, the purpose of His coming. It was that to which He was destined. Jesus came to die and be raised again, and He came to die on the cross. Everything He taught, every miracle He did pointed toward the supreme sacrifice He would make for us. Isaiah described Him as a suffering servant, and that is what He was, even to suffering on the cross as He served us with His sacrificial death. 

When we look at what the cross meant to Jesus, we must also ask what our cross means to us. It is not just a piece of jewelry or a decorative icon, or it should not be. Our cross is that for which we were born, that which is our destiny. Those sound like big words, don't they? Though big, they are no less true. 

It is easy to be so caught up in the busy routine of our lives that we miss our destiny entirely. Peter was a busy and successful fisherman until the day business and destiny collided. Not everyone who follows Jesus will leave their business and become a full-time minister, but some will. Others will embrace a variety of service options, from visiting shut-ins to feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless. 

We all have a cross to bear. Jesus's words make that clear. What is your cross, your destiny? What is the reason for which you were born? How are you called to serve in the Kingdom of God?  You may wonder if this business of knowing and bearing your cross even matters. It does. Jesus said that we would take up our cross daily and follow Him. Just as the following must be preceded by denial of self, so, too, it must be preceded by taking up our cross on a daily basis. As we begin our day, let us start by picking up our cross, that we might follow close to our Lord, who embraced His own cross for us.