The Cross You Bear

There are times in the Christian’s walk when the cross we bear for Christ seems too heavy a burden to carry, even though it is a burden that must be carried if one is to be a disciple of Christ. This is why Jesus repeatedly warned His followers to weigh the price of carrying the cross when following Him. (Luke 14:27) (1 Cor 1:18)

While Christ has promised that the burden of the cross will be a gain to us, there are moments when we want to cry out to Jesus for the burden to be lessened in some way. (Matt 24:13-14

May I offer some perspective on the burden you carry? There is indeed a purpose for the burden you are learning to bear and carrying along with you in life…

There is a purpose for those trials and tribulations: it is to strengthen your faith and drive you to Christ. (James 1:204)

Your burdens, trials, tribulations aren’t the work of a “cosmic gremlin”, as Mark Twain believed. Those trials and burdens and tribulations have one purpose: to turn you to Jesus. 2 Peter 1:3-11 reminds us that these things make us “partakers of the divine nature”. Our faith is strengthened in the refiner’s fire and if you know anything about smelting metal, you will understand the fiery furnace fires Christian sanctification.

So stop running from them. Stop despising them. Stop trying to avoid them. We are not saved from our trials…not at all! We are saved through our trials!

As men cherish young plants at first, and fence them about to keep them from hurt, but when they are grown, they remove them, and then leave them to the wind and weather, so God besets His children first with props of inward comforts, but afterwards exposes them to storms and winds, because they are better able to bear it. Therefore let no man think himself the better because he is free from troubles. It is because God sees him not fit to bear greater.

Richard Sibbs

*I would love to give credit where credit is due, but I couldn’t find the original post or author of these great images! I don’t know who put such effort into the graphics, but it was not me!