My Cross

Once again I am participating in the Blog Hop "Into the Word Wednesday". 

This week what stood out to me as I read my daily devotion in "Our Daily Bread" was a new take on what my "cross" is.  I've heard preachers put this in a myriad of ways and none has ever struck a chord with my soul that satisfied it.

As I read the devotional on Luke 9:23, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." written by David C. McCasland, a new realization occurred to me.  What did Jesus sacrifice on the cross?  His life of course.  But beyond that He sacrificed His own will for the Father's.  In the garden He had prayed if there be any other way let this cup pass from me, but nether the less Thine will be done. 

Therefore, to take up my cross daily is to daily deny my own self will and look to God's will for me.  Deny my own desires for the sake of living for Him and to further His Kingdom. 

A huge cross to bear if left on our own.  But thank God for the Holy Spirit!  With Him we can have some measure of success in shouldering that cross.

McCasland said, 'Rather than merely trying to suppress our natural desires, MacDonald said that true self-denial means “we must see things as [Christ] saw them, regard them as He regarded them; we must take the will of God as the very life of our being . . . . We are no more to think, ‘What should I like to do?’ but ‘What would the Living One have me do?’”'

Thank you Lord for being faithful and submitting your will to the Father's.  Help me to better bear my cross for you today.