~ Can be defined as any affliction, burden or trouble ~
We read in St. Luke 9:23, "And He “Jesus” said to them all “each of us”, If any
man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross “your cross” daily, and follow Me."
In this Scripture Jesus was not saying to take up the Cross of Jesus but the affliction, burden or trouble that is a Cross to you as an individual. Then, we
are to take up His Cross which He has made easy or light by His Death, Burial
and Resurrection.
To be like Jesus we must first learn about Him and then implement doing as
He did. A righteous person thinks of the needs of others. Whatever may be a burden to you may not be a burden someone else.
Therefore, your Cross that you bear may be different than the Cross another
person bears ~
Think about it like this, the mother of a child may need to get up several times during the night to tend to their child when they would most likely rather sleep. This type of love is what the Lords wants the Saints to have for one another.
The Prophet Joel in Joel 2:13 wrote, "And rend your heart, and not your
garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for He is Gracious and Merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil."
What Joel is saying here is not to necessarily be seen as being burdened or bearing a Cross but to have the intent and desire in your heart to do for others,
to be sad when you see evil. Many people in the Biblical Days had the tendency
of wanting to be seen as being sad or remorseful. But the Lord wants His Children to have a heart of love and remorse and a willingness to change and help other change.
In 2nd Peter 3:9, the Apostle Peter wrote, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
The Saints are to wait upon the Lord, knowing that He will perform the doing
of His Word. They too are to be longsuffering towards Believers and non-believers so that hopefully, some might be saved.
The Apostle Paul in 2nd Thessalonians 2:13 wrote, "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth:"
It is the duty of the Believer “Saint” to give praised to the King of Kings, the
Lord of Glory for the Body of Christ.
Belief and observance of the Truth is paramount in being a Servant of the Lord. In general there should be joy in knowing that those around you are doing well. And there is a greater experience of joy when a non-believer becomes a Believer in Jesus and the Good News that He has made it possible for them to be Saved.
In Titus 2:11 the Apostle Paul wrote, "For the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared to all men."
Salvation relieves the burden that is a product of sin. The burden or Cross that
is the product of Righteousness brings joy and peace ~
The Prophet Hosea in Hosea 14:2 wrote, "Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will
we render the calves of our lips."
The calves of our lips or words of our mouth is first, a well- pleasing sacrifice to the Lord which brings the Soul to repentance and Life Everlasting. Praise His Holy Name!
We read in St. Matthew 6:12 & 14-15, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. * For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: * But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
If we were to really practice the words of this prayer we might take more time to think before we speak or act in response to those around us whether Saints
or sinners.
If a person plants a grain of corn they are more likely to receive the reward of their action than if they do nothing ~
Therefore, if we forgive those that transgress against us which can be a burden
to do at times then, we are more likely to believe that God “YHWH” for Christ Jesus sake will forgive us for the wrong that we have done.
Again: In St. Luke 9:23 we read, "And He “Jesus” said to them all “each of us”,
If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross “your cross” daily, and follow Me."
The Saints are to be reminded or have their mind sired up to remember that they / we are to bear the burdens of one another. The walk of the Believer is a continuous, moment by moment, day by day journey towards God’s Heavenly Kingdom.
In St. Matthew 16:26 we read, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for
his soul?"
Can we afford to take a chance on gaining entrance into the Kingdom of God? If we busy ourselves in doing things that do not bring Praises to Jesus, we will not likely be granted access to His Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, let us be mindful
of doing His Blessed Will.
Derwood A. Stewart, Minister
House of Prayer Sabbath Ministries
Comments? Email Us: hope@preachersteacher.org 