"Jesus said 'HE who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:38). Let those words linger in your mind for a time of meditation before the Lord.
He's telling us that for you and me to even think of following Him in a worthy manner, the cross must be central in our life- which means dealing with sin must be central in our life.
How could it be otherwise? How could be be indifferent to sin when we know how radically God had to deal with the sin issue- at an unimagiable cost to Himself and His Son- on the cross?
It's unthinkable to say "Father, thank you for laying the sin of the world on Your son... but please don't talk to me about sin in my life. I just want to have the joy of following You."
Jesus also said "Whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple(Luke 14:27). Here's a statement that leaves no room or manuever.
There's nothing halfway about it; eother we take up our cross, or it's absolutely impossible to be His disciple. Would it not be important, then, that we understand completely and profoundly what it means to bear our cross?
Jesus never hides the terms of discipleship, and the terms He lays down are non-negotiable. They're absolutes- and it's time for us to let the living Christ once again define the terms of discipleship. "
-Experiencing the Cross by Henry T. Blackaby
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