The Spiritual Side

I’m a very “un-liturgical” kind of guy. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against formal worship if it’s offered in spirit and in truth. But following a liturgical calendar has never been my cup of tea. The whole idea of Lent seems out of sync with the scriptures. If Lent is to be a time of self-denial and moderation, personal repentance, and a forsaking of sinful activities or habits, isn’t that what we’re called to do daily, and not just for forty days before Easter?

The Christian life is to be lived daily through self-denial. It’s the way of the cross.

In Luke 9:23 our Lord said: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” How exactly does one take up his cross daily? There is a spiritual side and a practical side to this. Here are three quick thoughts about the spiritual side.

1. Taking up your cross means death.

Bearing a cross is not to be thought of as merely carrying a burden. I’m not talking about your mother-in-law moving in or your boss at work. I’m talking about dying. Whenever the Romans hung someone on a cross it was an execution. You hung there until you were dead, so don’t confuse life’s burdens with the daily cross we’re all called to bear.

2. Taking up your cross is dying to the old nature with its desires.

The Bible talks about this in several key passages in the New Testament. Taking up a cross to die means death to the old man so that the new man can be revealed. Remember, at conversion a person becomes a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is what Jesus meant when he told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” (John 3:3) When you received Jesus you became a brand-new person, and that person, the new nature, can only live as the old nature dies.

The Apostle Paul bluntly charged the Colossians to, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5 He also exhorted the Ephesians to, “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24

Note that phrase “deceitful desires” and be reminded of how many times your desires lied to you. They held out the promise of excitement and pleasure and then left you feeling shame, guilt, and disappointment. They are rightly called “deceitful desires” because they never deliver what they promise. Therefore, we should never trust our emotions or be controlled by fleshly impulse. Taking up your cross every day means death to the old nature with its desires.

3. The spiritual understands that dying is the way to live.

No less than 5 times in the New Testament we’re told in so many words, “If you would save your life lose it for Jesus’ sake.” [Matthew 10:39, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, 17:23, & John 12:25] You need to understand that Jesus is not espousing some morbid philosophy of life that makes one miserable. What makes people miserable is living according to their own selfish desires. The Bible describes this kind of mindset as death (Romans 8:6).

I once heard a preacher say, “Sin is attempting to get out of life what God never put in it.” To really live, to experience life as God intended, is to live in accordance with his will and not our own. Our own way is contrary to God’s way and leads to misery and destruction (Proverbs 14:12).

The way of the cross is understanding that God’s way is always best for us, even if it’s hard or painful at times. God wants you to enjoy life.

Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that you can have the same joy I have and so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy.” (John 15:11 GNV)

to be continued...

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