Take Up Your Cross Daily and Follow Me!

Take up your cross daily?

So what did Jesus mean in Luke 9:23 KJV?  Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. We hear it all the time take up your cross. But what exactly 

does this cross consist of. I've heard so many  explanations of what the cross is and means that I'm confused. If someone was to ask me what this passage means, I would probably, 1 get that thousand yard stare in my eyes, 2 start mumbling something about struggles and victories, and 3  when it became obliviously obvious to me and the other person I had no clue what I was talking about, I'd try to change the subject sneak off, call my pastor, and ask him. Only to get the same answer I just gave the poor poor soul that asked me. One pastor told me that the cross was a torture device, so it meant to take up your burdens daily. Another told me there is two sides to that cross. One being struggles and the other victories. So I've been going over this question in my head for sometime now. And before you ask, Yes I talk to my self and yes I answer my self. How else am I to know I'm getting the right answer or the right advice. Ok bad pun point taking. Anyhow after several days this is the answer I came up with.

        It just doesn't make since to me that Jesus, the man that brought us the new covenant of Grace, would want someone to get up every morning take up their struggles, their burdens, their baggage throw them over their shoulder and trudge after Jesus. Isn't He the one that said come to me all ye that are HEAVILY labored, and I will give ye rest? How is carrying all our burdens, and worries, and fear rest? It doesn't seem like rest to me. One the other hand take up your victories and follow Me just doesn't set well with me either. That makes it seem more self righteous than anything to me. Like we just won a spiritual football game and we rush the field tear down the goalpost and start parading around with our victories on our shoulders. So you see I just can't seem to understand this at all. Till I start thinking of Paul. Paul says in Galatians 2:20 I'm crucified with Christ nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ that liveth in me, and the life I now live i live by faith in the Son f God who loves me and died for me. AHH There is a cross that I was crucified on. The same cross that Jesus hung on. Jesus carried that cross so I didn't have to. Didn't he? And from the stories it was a struggle. As a matter of fact it was so heavy that at one time Jesus couldn't bare it any longer and had to have Simon carry it for him. So is this the cross that I have to carry daily? And if so how am I gonna carry this thing that our Lord and Savior couldn't bare on His own?

       Lets look at this for a second. What does crucified with Christ mean? It simply means to deny yourself. To deny the comforts of this world. The things that feel good at the time of possession. To say no to me and yes to God. Galatians 5:24 says Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. So back to the matter at hand. So deny yourself take up your cross and follow me. OK we got the first part deny yourself, or to be crucified with Christ. Now for the take up your cross part. I just don't believe that i can tote the Cross of Christ. No I know I can't. I mean you should see me when my wife comes home after buying groceries. I'll have 50 bags hung on every finger and limb I have and just the short trip to the kitchen is bout all I got. Arms burning, fingers turning purple and going numb, eyes tearing up. Lord forbid I trip or stub my toe, cause I'm loosing one of them fingers for sure. So I think its pretty safe bet to say I'm not going to be making the trip that Jesus him self made. Besides as mentioned earlier Jesus carried the weight of the world so we didn't have to. So why would he want us to walk around with the weight of the world(our struggles) on our shoulders everyday. He wouldn't or at least I believe that He wouldn't. Lets recap, we know we can't carry the same cross that Jesus did, so we cant take that cross up daily. But it is the same cross we are crucified on with Christ. So maybe Jesus is telling us that we must deny(or crucify) our self daily. Now that would be a reason to have to take up your cross, because self will have to be put to death daily. Paul says it best "I die daily." So it is a struggle in a way. It is for me anyway. To deny yourself, to say No to the thing that our flesh wants. But at the same time denying yourself is a victory, so maybe this is what my pastor meant when he says there are two sides to that cross one side is your struggles and the other your victories.
     But I think that there is another side to the story. And I believe that it has to do with Gods plan for you and what you are suppose to do in this life. You know if I start focusing on Daryl and what Daryl wants or needs. Then I turn away from what God has planed for me. Lets look at  Jesus. What was the whole reason Jesus came to this earth? To die on the cross right? That was God's purpose for him. And Jesus knew this. And I believe that Jesus struggled with this. The Bible clearly says that he struggled with it.  He said "IF there is any way let me not drink from this cup." But watch this then Jesus said "not my will but thy will be done" He prayed this three time in the garden. So Jesus was struggling with dying for the sins of the world. But he knew that's what God had planned for him to do. So he literally took up his cross and Followed God. Which is a side of this cross I think is left out or overlooked by many. Maybe just maybe It can be looked at like this. Since the cross is the finished work of Jesus Christ, Or Gods purpose for Jesus, even being on this earth as a man. Maybe that's what Jesus was saying in Luke when he said 'Let him deny him self" {Lord I know what it is you want me to do, but I really don't want to do it God. Its Just not me" Even tho Its not my will to be a preacher or a teacher let Your will be done) or your purpose for me still being here, Throw that on my shoulders. (Gods plan or the whole purpose he has you on this earth) and follow Him. You see we all have a Divine reason we are still on this earth. At least I know I do, I've just had to many chances, I shouldn't still be here after all the things I've done. But by the Grace of God and threw His Son Jesus, I have been crucified and put to death, So that now because of the Holy Spirit I can become the finished work He"s always wanted me to be.`