Take up your cross?

[steve]

John 10:10 (KJV)
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.

This seems to be so many people’s favorite verse. The problem is that he also said “....If any will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

We don’t want to deny ourselves, or more to the point, deny our feelings.
We don’t want to take up our cross and follow him.
The cross is something to die on. Yes, die to our feelings.

And this becomes ten times more important in living a polygynous lifestyle.

 

[rustywest4]

Preach it homeboy Steve!

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

May He increase in me, and in my family as I magnify Him as our King and Lord!!!

 

[rockfox]

It is hard to understate the importance of this concept. It is part and parcel to becoming a disciple. Yet is almost entirely ignored by the moder church.

 

[steve]

It is hard to understate the importance of this concept. It is part and parcel to becoming a disciple. Yet is almost entirely ignored by the moder church.

Yup
I have been re-reading The Final Quest by Rick Joyner.
Sobering.

 

[The Revolting Man]

I did a cheesy mini-fast last Sabbath. I went from sundown to sundown, drank water and let myself have a slice of buttered bread and a glass of sweet tea for breakfast. I've gone longer on less because I didn't want to quite playing a video game. None the less, by sundown on Saturday I had a headache and was in a mild state of misery from a perceived lack of a full belly and sweet tea. It was a shameful and ridiculous display of craven flesh demanding to have all of it's lusts sated. My point being that @steve is preaching right at me right now.

 

[FollowingHim]

I can go all day without eating and not notice if I am too busy working to stop and eat. But if I intentionally choose to fast, I feel starving and get slow, forgetful and unable to think as clearly as normal, as if suffering from a lack of brain sugar. I can very much sympathise with Zec's thoughts.

 

[rockfox]

I think when you are "too busy working to stop and eat" there are hormones at work that suppress the hunger pains.

You could use this to your advantage and keep oneself distracted and busy to get through a fast; or realize that the pain might be a feature, not a bug.

What am I trying to say...western Christianity has forgotten the value of suffering. If something bad happens to us, we presume it must be wrong or evil. The refining fire is a foreign concept to us.

But this goes back to the OP. If we have died to self, what does it matter to us what He'll have us do or what we must suffer. Our sacrifices pale in comparison to Christ's.

 

[rockfox]

“....If any will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

I tend to think of this verse in terms of submitting my will entirely to Christ. But there is another aspect of the cross besides death to self": it is suffering...

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation...but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.

1 Peter 4:12-13,16

Although in our modern day it is not shame that many feel in response to suffering, but anger, frustration, and revolt. It is hard to remember to give glory for the suffering. To rejoice as though the suffering were a good thing.

 

[windblown]

I love how this conversation parallels with The Husband's Call to Rule thread...

 

[rockfox]

I love how this conversation parallels with The Husband's Call to Rule thread...

How one views the Gospel and our relation to Christ colors everything.

You can thus see the logical endpoint of the 'Jesus is your boyfriend here to complete you and give you gifts' Gospel presentation. Or the 'ticket to heaven' approach. Or of churches who feel no compulsion to obey scripture when it contradicts the opinions of the world.