Luke 9:23
“Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
It is safe to say that the cross, or crucifix, is the most famous piece of jewelry around the world. It adorns necks on every continent and culture, including those nations where public display guarantees arrest.
In Jesus’ day, the cross was a horrific tool of punishment that the Roman Empire used with profound results. The Roman cross loomed in the back of many a malefactor’s mind, knowing that, if caught, crucifixion would be the payment for the error of one’s ways and used as a public example.
Today, we display crosses on tasteful chains. “My, that’s a beautiful cross,” people say. But how can such a wicked and terrible thing be desirable? Allow me to put a twist on the topic.
The appeal of the cross has nothing to do with affordability because it cost our Savior His precious blood—the incalculable price of sin. Its beauty isn’t glittery gold or silver, but its blood-stained wood. The cross is not attractive because it is shiny and smooth but because it’s harsh and rough.
Wearing a cross doesn’t adorn you—it is the wearing of Jesus Christ and His message. We are to display Jesus and announce Him everywhere we go, knowing that ridicule and rejection will be the cross we bear in our association.
Will you identify with Christ’s sacrifice and unashamedly represent Him? If so, shed every form of rude and cold-hearted religiosity. Be a genuine, uncompromising follower of Christ and show the world that the cross you wear is more than a symbol. May you wear its message well.
Awaiting His Return,
– Pastor Jack
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