The Cross Your Burden Or Your Blessing?
By Mark Flippo
All too often, Christians confuse ordinary suffering with cross-bearing. Your physical pain or suffering may well be your thorn in the flesh, but it’s not ‘your cross to bear’. Cross-bearing as a metaphor for discipleship to Jesus has to do with a deliberately chosen course of life, not something that simply happens to you.
Luke stresses, the disciple is called to take up their cross daily and follow Jesus.
What this likely means is a daily commitment to present one’s self to God as a living sacrifice, a daily commitment to live a Christ-like, self-sacrificial life. And make no mistake about it, Jesus and Luke as well emphasis how hard this is to do. Indeed, they suggest that it is impossible, except by the grace of God and the help of God’s Spirit. It’s not a natural normal human thing to do. It requires divine help.
This excerpt is from BEN WITHERINGTON
The blessing is that He considers you important enough to allow you to be blessed in this way. Trouble and blessing go hand in hand. When your trouble is done then the blessing comes!
http://moderndayparablesrcf.com
By Mark Flippo
All too often, Christians confuse ordinary suffering with cross-bearing. Your physical pain or suffering may well be your thorn in the flesh, but it’s not ‘your cross to bear’. Cross-bearing as a metaphor for discipleship to Jesus has to do with a deliberately chosen course of life, not something that simply happens to you.
Luke stresses, the disciple is called to take up their cross daily and follow Jesus.
What this likely means is a daily commitment to present one’s self to God as a living sacrifice, a daily commitment to live a Christ-like, self-sacrificial life. And make no mistake about it, Jesus and Luke as well emphasis how hard this is to do. Indeed, they suggest that it is impossible, except by the grace of God and the help of God’s Spirit. It’s not a natural normal human thing to do. It requires divine help.
This excerpt is from BEN WITHERINGTON
The blessing is that He considers you important enough to allow you to be blessed in this way. Trouble and blessing go hand in hand. When your trouble is done then the blessing comes!
http://moderndayparablesrcf.com