21 From then on Jesus began to tell His disciples plainly that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem, and that He would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day He would be raised from the dead.
22 But Peter took Him aside and began to reprimand Him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” He said. “This will never happen to You!”
23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from Me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to Me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow Me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. ~ Matthew 16:21-24, NLT
Even Your Children, Lord, Must Pick Up the Cross
Lord, You are high and lifted up! You are Lord of all, worthy of all praise. Before the crown, You endured the Cross — before the resurrection, there must be the crucifixion.
Even for us, Your children.
You tell us to pick up the Cross and follow You, that in the sufferings of Christ we will find You. Some days, I don’t think I’m strong enough. Must I carry it, Lord?
I don’t want to turn back, but often I feel overwhelmed. I’m reminded that in my weakness, I am made strong because of You. You are drawn to my weakness like a magnet to steel. Your grace becomes my sufficiency.
The Cross is heavy, Lord, yet I am honored that You found me worthy to carry it for You. How will people know unless I tell them? How will people find You unless I show them the way? Yes, I must carry it.
Yes, the Cross is heavy, but it only becomes too heavy when I try to carry it in my own strength.
That’s when I fail.
That’s when I buckle under its weight.
And that’s when You come alongside me to lift the burden from my shoulders and give me rest. Help me see things from Your point of view, and not from my human perspective. Your ways are not my ways, nor are Your thoughts my thoughts.
Please forgive me for complaining on the difficult days. I am honored to serve You. You are making me holy as You are holy — You are transforming me into the image of Christ so that I might be a Light-Bearer for You and for Your glory.
And with the transforming comes difficult places, heavy crosses to bear. But there is purpose — great purpose. You, Lord, are my exceedingly great reward.
Strengthen Me to Pick Up the Cross and Follow You
All that I am and all that I ever hope to be, I give it all to You. Strengthen me to pick up my Cross and follow You … faithfully and with joy.
In the Name of Jesus, I pray,
Amen — let it be so
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Please don’t carry your burdens alone. I would be honored to pray for you. You may contact me directly at nan@nanjones.com
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Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
