I’ve heard people say including myself, “This has been a tough year. When is it going to change?” While in prayer, I heard the question, can you stay on the cross? I pose the same question to you. Of course, no one is running to the front of the line. Because the cross means death. Who really wants to die? Yet, this is what God calls for.
The Story: Luke 9:23-24; Galatians 5:24; Romans 6:11; 1 Peter 4:1-2
Several scriptures remind us that our place is on the cross despite its discomfort.
Luke 9:23-24 ~ “Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” For whoever wants to save their life will lose it but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”
Galatians 5:24 ~ “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Romans 6:11 ~ “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
1 Peter 4:1-2 ~ “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.
The Lesson
From these passages, we see the lifestyle of the cross. This is a way of living where we relinquish our plans for Jeremiah 29:11. We trade our thoughts for Isaiah 55:8-9. Therefore, our life is no longer our own but belongs to 1 Corinthians 6:20.
Please know that this is a new way of living. Some people can’t handle this level of submission to God. In this arena, living isn’t about self. Indeed, it’s more than accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior with our mouths. Yes, confession is amazing as it’s the first step into Kingdom living. Continued residence equates to exchanging what we want for our lives with God’s plans. To remain in this state, we must stay on the cross.
Living on the cross means we design our lives according to God’s blueprint. We also surrender to His plan when we desire to do something different. In addition, we surrender to Him when we desire to say something, but He prompts us to remain quiet. By making this our residence, God purifies, cleanses, and burns off anything that’s not like Him.
I acknowledge this lifestyle can sound confining or limiting but it’s the exact opposite. God created us so He placed certain desires and traits within us. Therefore, when we follow and submit to Him, He directs us on how to cultivate what He placed within us. He leads us on a path to excavate every gift and talent for His use and to benefit others. Through our submission to God, we live the life He uniquely designed for us. However, the full manifestation of God’s best for us depends on our answer to the question…
Can you stay on the cross?
