After the Restoration: Step Two, Take Up Your Cross

Step One: “Deny Yourself”

Grace is great and mercy is plentiful in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! He takes us where He finds us, but, as has often been said, He loves us too much to leave us there. There is no better feeling than to be forgiven and cleansed and have Heaven in our sights. It is at this point that Jesus gives us the most important invitation He ever extends to His friends: “Follow Me.” Without concern for our limitations and our foibles, we trust Him for our transformation, and, we say: “Yes, Lord!”

Step One, “Deny Yourself,” leads us to leaving our old self behind, refusing its old nature and identity. We embrace being the beloved of our heavenly Father allowing us to surrender to Him because we have confidence in His steadfast love. God is love, or agape, and that means we can trust Him unconditionally. We are free to abandon self-centered existence and fulfill the true desires of our hearts, given to each of us by God at the moment we were conceived. It is a tremendous trade-up! With empty hands extended, we move squarely into our unique purposes and desires as Jesus now commands: “Take up your cross.”

The Cross Shapes and Reveals Purpose

True purpose in following Jesus is not self-discovery. While I have respect for the books written about finding your Christian purpose, they are too often related to modern thought rather than the ancient Kingdom ideal of “your life is not your own.” Modern concepts focus on identifying and pursuing personal passions, or ways to maximize individual potential. Jesus flips this kind of thought on its head by saying, “take up your cross” as partner to “deny yourself.”

Many people chase their purpose in careers, relationships, or achievements, only to find emptiness when these are their only means to self-fulfillment. Taking up your cross means laying down those things because true life and purpose emerge on the other side of surrender. Jesus teaches this ideal as right-thinking in the Kingdom of God saying, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Following Jesus means embracing whatever cross God may ordain for His glory and the good of others. This is not a vague concept, but a definitive action in reaching down and hoisting that cross.
It will be a call to love difficult people.
It will require showing integrity on the job and any time no one is looking.
Most will serve in anonymity and obscurity.
For some it may be a specific call to ministry or into missions.
Some will become bold witnesses risking rejection and danger.
For all of us, it will mean daily death to selfish ambitions, sin, bad habits, addictions, and pride, without regard to our vocations.

Finding Purpose in the Cross

Purpose is not static, it unfolds, adjusts, and develops as we follow Jesus each day. Picking up the cross kills all self-centered dreams so that God’s holy imagination and creativity can live through us. Prayer is vital in this endeavor. Scripture provides an ancient template for life that is unchanging and unfailing. Sensing the leading of the Holy Spirit in quiet, secret places brings a sense of peace. Seeking wise counsel is always a good idea, but we must determine its validity based on prayer and Scripture.

Be careful of overcomplicating the issue of deciding which cross is yours to carry. It will be one that fits with the talents God has given you and the skills you have chosen to develop for your work and career. While there are certain callings defined in the Bible, most occupations are not listed. In the absence of a specific ministry call, your task becomes to live for Christ in your home, in your vocation, and in your church.

What does God want me to do? This is the wrong question to ask, because the Bible has already given us the answer. God wants us to love Him with all we are, to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to do whatever we do for His glory. The Great Commission command to “Go into all the world” does not mean that you personally need to go everywhere. It simply says, “Go and live, and as you go, do what you can to be a witness for Jesus along the way."

These are the kinds of questions we should be asking:
At Home
What sort of husband, wife, son, or daughter should I be? This is the first place to practice love for others
and to be a witness to those with whom we live.
At Work
Who do I work for? Who is the boss here? Who do I most want to please? This is the place to put my “whatever”
on the line for Christ: to do the kind of job that He would do and to be His witness every day (if necessary, using words).
At Church
What can I do with the time, talent, and money God gave me to fulfill His mission for my church? This my opportunity for me to demonstrate excellence, to worship whole-heartedly, and to shower my Christian family with unconditional love.

How to Pick Up Your Cross

We reach down toward that rugged timber reminding ourselves to lift with our knees and preparing to struggle against the weight of this imposing burden. To our surprise the load raises with relative ease. We shoulder the awkward encumbrance and rest the junction of the crosspiece against our necks readying ourselves to grind and toil in an endeavor to move forward. However, the deadweight nearly balances itself and, remarkably, settles down upon us conforming to our unique shape perfectly.

Now we notice and we can finally understand that our ability to handle the cross is not accomplished in our own strength. We have a partner. The Holy Spirit is close beside us and carries more than His share of the responsibility. We then determine that, working together with Him, our Master’s cross, or yoke, is easy, light, and fits like a glove.

We are not alone or aimless for we labor with the One who defines true purpose. Ongoing discipleship flows as we learn to know our Savior more fully while we work with Him. Our purpose is not determined by aptitude tests or academic analysis but from relationship with and imitation of Jesus Christ’s meek and lowly heart.

The Purpose Paradox

The cross feels heavy when we cling to ourselves, but the yoke becomes lighter as we submit to Jesus and learn from Him. Rest comes as we look to fulfill our purpose every day. The “easy” yoke includes persecution and sacrifice, yet it brings our souls rest because it is perfectly uniform with God’s design. If it is sometimes burdensome to our flesh, it is always refreshing and liberating to our spirits.

We find our true purpose in surrendered partnership with Jesus. The cross ensures we die to what hinders and distracts us. The yoke ensures we walk in step with our gentle, good Shepherd who leads us carefully and equips us for every good work we will experience. Both lead to abundant, eternal life aligned with God’s will.

Leaving our selfish passions and desires on the cross and taking up the yoke of our purpose, we move to After the Restoration, Step Three: Follow Me continuing our life’s pilgrimage being led by Jesus.

Important Scripture References

Matthew 16:24
Mark 8:34
Luke 9:23
1 Corinthains 6:19-20
Matthew 16:25
Matthew 22:37-40
Colossians 3:17, 23
Matthew 28:19-20
Matthew 11:28-30
John 16:7
Galatians 5:1
Jeremiah 6:16
Psalm 23
Ephesians 2:10