Who took off with Jesus? That question was posed in a newspaper article in 2003. The question hung in the air of the Church of the Holy Cross in Midtown Manhattan when caretakers noticed that a two-hundred-pound statue of Jesus had been stolen.

The caretakers were not usually surprised when burglaries took place at the church, because they had often been burglarized. Their location made them an easy target. This burglary was different. The thieves unbolted the two-hundred-pound statue that was attached to a cross. They took great pains to unbolt the precious artwork. They wanted Christ, but they did not want the cross.

Many in the Body of Christ seem to be at a point of wanting Jesus but not the cross. Jesus without the cross is like a heart without a beat. Without the cross, Jesus is just another person in a long line of great teachers. Without the cross, we just take the parts of Jesus we want and leave the rest.

Jesus was talking with His disciples, and He said to them, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” – Luke 9:23.  Jesus was not saying this to strangers. He said these words to His disciples, men who wanted to follow Him.

I have a feeling the disciples were a little surprised at what Jesus said. After all, they had left family, home, and occupations to follow Jesus. Now, they were finding out that following Jesus meant giving up everything. What a shock that must have been! They were well aware of what carrying a cross meant. When Jesus told his followers, they must take up their cross to follow him, it did not sound like a pleasant proposition. It does not sound like something anyone would willingly want to do.

Through the years, I have heard people say my cross to bear is cancer, my cross to bear is divorce, or a host of other things. That is not at all what Jesus was saying. He was saying, “If you are going to follow me you are going to have to deny yourself and take up your cross.”  Denying ourselves and self-denial are not the same thing. I give up sweets when I am in self-denial. When I deny myself, I surrender my will to Christ and determine to live according to His plans and His will.

Jesus had a deeper meaning when he spoke these words to His followers. He wanted them to “put to death” their own plans and desires and turn their lives over to Him, doing His will. It would require denying themselves and livng a life of obedience. And Jesus said you will have to do it daily. 

If we deny ourselves and take up our cross, it will not set well in today’s culture.  They are okay with the loving, cuddly parts of Jesus, but not so much with the cross part. To take up our cross is to treasure Jesus more than we treasure fitting into a world that wants Jesus without the cross. There is no Christianity without a cross.

As I whipped out my TJ Maxx gift card to pay for items for my home, I was so excited. I was standing in line to pay and thinking how tired I got of putting in work to get that card. I am a bargain hunter. Any more out there? I love to get the best deals possible. More than once I have told myself that if I were a millionaire, I would still be a bargain hunter.

There are three online programs of which I am a participant and all lead to a reward. I participate in Ibotta, Fetch, and Stocking Spree. (I know you wanted to know!)  I have gotten several hundred dollars in gift cards from Ibotta, Stocking Spree, and Fetch. All of them require me to put a little work in to get my reward, but Fetch is the most difficult. It takes a long time to get that reward.

Almost daily for the past year, I have faithfully put in the work required by Fetch. Even though it only took a few minutes a few times a week, I wanted to quit at times! I wanted the rewards, but I was tired of the daily grind without seeing the reward. When I got that gift card and could get free items for my home, I was happy. I endured till the end and my reward awaited me.

As I walk through this life with God, there are times that I am ready for the reward. Faithfulness requires doing some things over and over. Praying over and over. Studying the Bible over and over. Being a part of ministry over and over. Sometimes, when you do it over and over without quickly seeing a reward, there can be the temptation to stop being faithful. Have you ever felt that?

I know we are in an hour where we are fighting back darkness, and at times it seems darkness is winning. Do not believe it!  As has been said many times, we have read the end of the book and we win! God is working in ways that we do not see to fulfill every promise He has given to His people. God hears every prayer that you have prayed for that family member. God sees everything that you have done in His Name to minister to others. God will bring a harvest from all those Words that you have read and spoken over others. Don’t stop now! The reward awaits you and it will be worth the wait!

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

“Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised” (Hebrews 10:35–36). 

As I watch my children raising their children in today’s climate, it brings me to my knees daily. Yes, daily, and sometimes hourly. My children watch over their young ones very carefully, but today, children are exposed to far too many things at such an early age.

Being in my seventies now, it has been almost three decades since my last child left the nest. Today, I was thinking back on how hard it was not to be there every moment to protect them. There is a huge river called life, and all of us will release our children into that river. It is one the hardest things we do.

Many years ago, while raising my children, I was having a challenging time. Surely it comes as a shock to learn that even preachers are imperfect parents! And even preachers’ kids do not always walk the straight and narrow!

I was reading the story of Jochebed putting Moses in the Nile River to save his life from destruction. She built a little basket, put pitch (tar) around the outside to seal it and then set him afloat. Later, Moses was picked up by Pharaoh’s daughter, which looked like the end of baby Moses. After all, he was now in “enemy” hands. You can read the whole story in Exodus 1 and 2.

God showed me a few principles that day while reading about baby Moses.

1. Jochebed built a basket. We as parents build baskets while raising our children. We weave a basket by teaching the truth and principles of God’s Word. Row by row, she wove a basket. We teach our children precept upon precept. Don’t leave this up to your church! Get a children’s devotional book and spend time teaching them.

2. The mother of Moses then put pitch around the basket to seal it. We instruct our children, and then we seal it by being a praying parent. Day by day praying the Word over our children will seal the truth that we have woven into their lives. And by all means, teach your children to pray.

3. At some point Jochebed had to release that baby into a river. How hard must that have been! She would much rather have held that baby in her own protective custody. She trusted the basket she had built would keep him afloat. Now she would have to watch from afar as he drifted down the river. In all our lives as parents, we will have to release our children into the river of life. If we have taken time to weave a basket of truth and sealed it with prayer, we can trust it to keep them afloat. When watching from afar, we can still trust the things of God that we sowed into the lives of our children.

4. Moses took a few twists and turns down that river. When Moses was picked up by Pharoah’s daughter, it looked like he was in the wrong hands, with the wrong people. Yet, God still brought Moses into his destiny. Even when our sons and daughters take twists and turns that lead them to wrong relationships, God can still put them in a position to fulfill what He has laid out for their lives.

Raise children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Trust God with the results. When we take the time to build a basket, it is amazing what God can do with it. Just ask a mother named Jochebed.

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” – Deuteronomy 6:6-7