The Cross, Carry It With a Purpose

Matthew 26:53--NIV--Do you think I cannot call my Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

Jesus was not a poor little street urchin while he walked this earth. A Roman legion was approximately 6,000 fighting men. With one look and a prayerful thought, 72,000 angels could have surrounded the rag tag army that came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

But, He didn't do it. He had a date with a cross. He wasn't going to TRY to bear up under the weight of His cross. He was going to carry it with a purpose. He know what it was going to be like and He did it anyway. He knew that it was the ONLY way to free mankind. He loved us that much that He dared NOT to even entertain one tiny thought of neglecting His promise to do His Father's will.

When we think of bearing our cross, we think of crying, heartache and tears. Truly, the things that we consider our cross are heavy enough to bring us to our knees. The problems we face seem to be on our minds more than anything else. We lose sleep, we lose our patience with our loved ones, and we despair of our own lives at times.

Jesus didn't have His mind set on these things although they were all around Him. Instead of broken lives, He was thinking about the broken chains that His blood would bring. Instead of watching people stumbling around in the dark, His mind was on the light of the Holy Spirit that was soon to come. Instead of broken families, He was thinking about the Holy Spirit guiding men and women into Godly choices. In other words, His mind was locked on to the answers instead of the problems He saw.

No, He didn't just ignore the problems that He saw. As a matter of fact, all through His three year ministry Jesus went about making broken things good again. The sick were healed, the dead were raised and demons were cast out of thousands. However, He was looking forward to the time when millions of men, women, boys and girls that were called by His name would take over His job after He ascended to His Father.

It was for us and our future that Jesus died on the cross, my friend. And now it's our turn to return the favor for the same reason. Don't do it just because you feel compelled to carry it for Jesus. Because you're not.

You are carrying the cross for your own good. As I've taught in the past several blogs, God has a plan to do you good (Jeremiah 29:11). There are some things you need to know from Him that can only be learned while bearing this burden. There are some good things He has planned for you and your children in your future.

Just like Jesus did, think of all the good things that God wants to do for you and your children. It will give you strength to get you through this time. A woman, when she's pregnant, is uncomfortable, always tired, sometimes given to crying, sometimes crabby, sometimes gives in to unusual cravings.....and in the last two months gets worse. But there is a great deal of strength and hope that she gets from knowing that this is just a temporary inconvenience. She knows that every day puts her close to delivering a sweet little baby. And that's what gives her the ability to endure it all. She will give birth to an abundance of joy.

If you want to think of it that way too, guys, your cross is a God-thing that hurts right now but will be over in the birthing of a miracle sometime in the future. Don't just stumble under the weight of your cross. Carry it with a hope and a purpose. Remember, there was a powerful resurrection not too long after Jesus finished carrying His cross. And there will be a powerful move of God for you when you're finished, too.