Take up Your Cross Matthew 16:24-26
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. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?


I don’t wanta get up for devotions in the morning. Take up your Cross

I don’t wanta have to wait for the kitchen to call for breakfast. Take up your Cross.

I don’t wanta do this or that. Take up your Cross.

But I don’t wanta make a meeting. Take up your Cross.

I don’t wanta share. Take up your Cross.

I don’t wanta get a sponsor. Take up your Cross.

Think about it. We complain about some pretty petty stuff. All of these things that we need to do, but we don’t wanta do them.

Christ is tell us that if we want to follow Him, we have to take up our Cross. But what does that mean?

I’ll tell you this, it’s a lot more then just getting up for devotions or getting a sponsor.


“Take up your cross and follow Me” means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25). Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless.

Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple (Luke 14:27). The reward is worth the price. Jesus followed His call of death to self (“Take up your cross and follow Me”) with the gift of life in Christ: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25-26).

Galatians 6:14 As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.