And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. Matthew 10.38.



A burden is not a cross. Burden is something inescapable; the cross, however, is subject to personal choice and can therefore be avoided. What the first cross in history was, so the countless smaller crosses will be which shall follow afterwards: just as the original cross was chosen by the Lord, so the crosses for today must also be chosen by us. Some people assume that they are bearing the cross whenever they fall into some hardship or encounter some distress. This is not true, however, for these kinds of things may quite naturally happen to any person even if that person is not a believer.

What then is a cross? It must be akin to what the Lord Jesus himself has said: “My Father, . . . thy will be done” (Matt. 26.42). The Lord asks His Father not to answer as He the Son wills, but as the Father wills. This is the cross. To take the cross is to choose the will which the Father has decided.

CFP Newsletter & Daily Devotional - Watchman Nee

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Mike

This was a refreshing expostion of what it means to take up the cross. very clear,brief,and to the point. Thanks for posting it. :-)

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Demetrius