The Room

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24 Perhaps you've heard or read a description of how, when a believer comes before the Lord in eternity, they'll be shown a room where all the blessings the Lord wanted to shower upon them were stored. Those blessings never came, the story says, because they lacked faith, trust, and so on. It's a good illustration and a valid one. It will be a tragedy to see the contents of that room. Yet, I believe there is a much greater tragedy concerning a much lesser known room. It's the room that contains the cross that Christ called us to take up and bear, as we follow Him wherever He leads, yet we never did. How many of us may have such a room, yet aren't even aware of it? I think we have a skewed understanding of what it means to bear our cross and follow Him. I think many of us point at a particularly difficult and painful situation, a crumbling marriage, a ministry that costs us, prodigal children. All of these and more are very painful, but they alone don't make for our cross. Our cross is the same one Christ bore. Our cross is our surrender to everything in our lives that could happen or will happen. Our cross is all that is involved in our complete surrender and submission to whatever He leads us to and through and His purpose for us in it. No matter the cost, no matter the way. Like Christ in Gethsemane, we have already determined that nothing He asks, commands, or requires is off limits in our lives. Wherever He leads and whatever the fruit of His leading may be for us, we've already determined we will follow, no matter how heavy the cross coming out of our decision may become. The Roman crosses left nothing alive and neither does the cross of Christ. At least nothing of the self-will. Self has been died to and Christ's will is what we live for. This is what a disciple is called to with no exceptions. Jesus made this declaration to a large crowd that was following Him, All but His chosen disciples turned back. Such is the cost of the cross, and such is the reason so many rooms that are symbolic of the cross He has called us to....still contain our cross. Do you and I have such a room? I have no desire to experience the scenario of the first room I write about. I want to receive every good thing that He has for me. I want His everything, but I tremble to think of having to face Him about the second room. The one that contains the cross I never had the courage to pick up and carry, and as a result, caused me to never completely follow Him. We will give an account for how we lived in Him, made use of His gifts, and our obedience for His call to His cross. We will lay the spiritual treasures we have accumulated in this life at His feet. I like to think that perhaps our greatest offering to Him will be the cross we bore in His name. I hope I have one to offer Him. I hope mine is not still sitting in a room. How about you? Blessings, Pastor O