LUKE 9:23

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

TO PONDER

One of the things I think puts many people off about Christian faith and following Jesus, is misunderstanding verses like this one. After all, in the fast paced, super charged, succeeed at any cost, world in which we live today, who wants to be given another burden or another cross to carry?

The problem is simply this, we don't realise that Jesus is not giving us another burden, he's offering to replace the ones that we have burdened ourselves with and replace it with something lighter. That's why in Matthew 11:28 Jesus says, "come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest...for my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Notice that Jesus doesn't offer a burden free life - he simply offers a lighter burden. Most of us have been carrying around the weight of burdens we were never meant to carry for most of our lives and often don't even realise it. What is silly about that is we often find ourselves running from the cross of Jesus because we are too attached to the other crosses and burdens we have created for ourselves. The burden of supplying the financial and physical needs of our family, the burden of anxiety caused by the constant pressure to perform and move forward in your career, the burden of global conflict, rising cost of living, global warning, poverty, loneliness - many people carry all that on their shoulders, and more, every day but never show it.

Jesus is saying, "Give that to me. Stop running from me and hiding the things that burden you and lay them hear at my feet and simply hold onto me and my cross, because here you will find rest for your burdened soul.

So, I don't know what your day holds in store for you but whatever it is and whatever burdens in brings with it, remember that taking up the cross of Jesus and following him is always the lighter way.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you that you know my burdens and have offered me a simpler way, a way based on trusting you to take care of the things beyond my control and to simply accept the burden of your heart towards those who do not yet know you. Please give me the courage to stop running from that call, to stop chasing after my own needs and agendas and to follow you more closely each day. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle