Thursday after the First Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 14, 2021 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 16:24-27 (NKJV)
16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Devotion
As Christians we are often “less than thrilled” about this notion of taking up our crosses and following Jesus. After all, who wants to deal with all the heartaches and problems life throws at us. The sad fact is that because of sin, heartaches and problems are unavoidable. But there is much more to this command from Christ, that a person “take up his cross,” than the day to day problems that will inevitably come our way, since daily problems affect unbelievers as well as believers.
The cross you bear as a Christian strikes at your very soul. It is the anguish you bear as the result of being a Christian, and it can take many forms. You may be ostracized from family members. You may be singled out by co-workers and shunned. You may not be promoted. Or, as Christ points out, you could even lose your life. There are many adverse things that can befall a Christian for simply being a Christian.
When contemplating your “crosses” you can quickly lose sight of who you are. You are “in Christ,” baptized into Him, and thus part of Him. The crosses you bear are really part and parcel of His cross. More importantly, He not only bears His cross, He is also the one carrying you, and your crosses, all the way to eternal life!
Prayer: O Lord, we beseech Thee mercifully to receive the prayers of Thy people who call upon Thee; and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
