J. Grant Swank, Jr.
". . .his cross daily. . ." Luke 9:23
To know the cross of Christ, one must be stripped of everything else.
That means consciously stating to Christ that He can take away everything from us but Himself. Anything less is not the way of the cross.
Practically
speaking, that entails willingly surrendering one's clothing,
furniture, vehicles, lodgings, holdings, past-times, leisures, health,
interpersonal relationships, vocation. . .all of life. . .to Christ.
It
is at this crucial beginning that most believers balk. They want to
reason that such relinquishment is foolishness, nonsense, illogical.
Yet
it is Christ Himself who tells His own that they must let go of mother,
father, brother, sister, houses and lands in order to follow Him on the
way of the cross. No other source but Christ Himself sets forth the
standard. To call that standard foolish, nonsensical, unreasonable is
then to argue with the source of our salvation; yet such is unthinkable.
Therefore,
to know the cross of Christ, one must be aware that everything attached
to one's life must be placed upon the altar of sacrifice. The reason?
Because Christ is God. And God, being God, deserves nothing less than
all.
That is why "all" is repeated continually throughout
the Word. We are challenged by our Creator to realize our nothingness
in order to come into His everything. To make such a conscious move, we
must deliver into Christ's hands our all, keeping back nothing.
This
is the start of the cross journey. It is the only way to begin. There
can be no short cut nor circumventing the stipulations as set forth by
the Master Christ.
We call this Christ Savior and Redeemer
and Friend. But there is no personal reality to any of such titles
unless we first submit to His title as Master, Lord. Only then--by
delivering everything we are and have into His perfect care--can we
know Him as Savior. Mastership over our very destinies is why Jesus was
born of a virgin. We must recognize that dominant presence in every
area of our lives in order to lodge upon His cross.
Only
when we let go of all, releasing our grip upon everything, will we then
know the power of the cross to deliver from fear, worry and carnal
confusion of soul.
Those who have come to the truth of the
cross journey experience then the peace of God. Only those who have
purposefully resigned every aspect of their being to the God of gods
can even begin to enter into the comfort promised.
Christ
calls you to the cross. "Take up your cross daily and follow me." Can
you have faith to believe that it is possible--not in your own
strivings but by divine grace alone? Yes, it is possible. The Master stands waiting at the door of your heart to prove to you His benevolent Mastership.
Now
give to Jesus Christ the properties you hold dearly. Look them in the
face. Now tally them. Do not hide one away for safe keeping. In the
open sky of an honest soul, place in Christ's mastership your
breathing, your present, your future, your very existence.
It
is then that you will begin to understand what it means to have the
life abundant. Only those who have died out to their earthly holdings
know the truth of resurrection presence. Only when you yourself declare
to heaven, earth and hell that you have signed over your securities to
Christ will you yourself experience the power of the cross and the
consequent might of the resurrection.