Called to the Cross

"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:37-39)

What Jesus said here is so clear! "anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me" To be a disciple of Jesus-Christ, i.e., a Christian, one must take up his/her Cross! There is no other way to follow Jesus. The Cross is the condition or you can't be a Christian.

God has put on my heart to study the story of Jesus' Passion and how it actually parallels the life of a true disciple.

If to be His disciple one is to take up his or her Cross, then the life of the Christian must clearly resemble the Way of the Passion.

The reality that to be a Christian is to carry his or her Cross is rarely taught in churches these days, which is a tragedy causing much harm to the children of God.

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4:12,13)

What's happening in the Church today is that many Christians are surprised that they are suffering and this leads to much depression. Now if the Cross were preached in the churches, there would be much less confusion and a lot more submission to His Will.