Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).
Over the last two decades I have had the honor to record and even co-write a variety of songs. In order to help spread the message of the Gospel that they contain, I have decided to share how Scripture has inspired each of these songs and how they practically apply to our lives. The first song in our “The Gospel in Music” series is, Take Up Your Cross.
We released the song to radio last year and it was surprisingly well received. This makes some sense because it has an uplifting melody and a positive message. But the topic of “taking up your cross” is not exactly the easiest instruction to heed, even for those who call themselves followers of Jesus. The strong response took me by surprise. It makes me wonder whether or not it was truly understood.
Our mindset at the time of its writing was simple. As the first verse says…
We have seen beauty arise
Up from the ashes, once known as our lives
A love so pure has called us each by name
And for our sins, His righteousness exchanged
We’ve been reconciled
Set apart
We’ve been called to raise our banner up
The Chorus:
Take up your cross and follow Jesus
To the ends of the earth, go where He leads
Take up your cross and make our Savior known
Make Him known
The Scriptural basis behind the words of the song is multi-faceted, but at its core the song calls us to pick up our own burden for the Gospel and carry it wherever God has appointed it to go. It is a denial of self, not just for a moment, but for a lifetime. Sharing the Gospel includes longsuffering and perseverance, for the cause that surpasses all others.
This charge to carry out a cross-bearing lifestyle is pretty daunting – undesirable really – and even feels unattainable at times. It’s easy to dismiss the charge altogether and say, “Cross bearing was for the Disciples. It’s for the missionaries and martyrs, not for us regular folk.”
Similarly, when we hear The Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew chapters 5-7, we may walk away scratching our heads, thinking… is that even possible? Many scholars feel the whole point of the sermon is to show us we can’t live up to Jesus’ standards:
- Perfection (Matthew 5:8).
- Sinlessness (Matthew 5:30).
- Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44).
These things truly are unattainable in our own strength. The Sermon on the Mount exposes our desperate need.
So, do we just give up?
No, of course not.
Suffering to the point of dying for the Gospel (literally losing one’s life) may or may not ever come our way. But abandoning our pride of life, our selfish will, dying to the flesh, and fulfilling our personal charge when it comes to the great commission… is more than possible through Christ (Phil 4:13).
At the end of a ministry event, I often ask the question, “Now what? What do we do with the gift we have been given?” Worshiping God with a song about taking up our cross is a good start, but what does it actually mean for you and me to specifically “take up our cross?” What is the practical application?
For starters, we can set our sights on being missional on our individual “street corners” (the places within our unique spheres of influence). For example, for those of us who are parents, we may only have to carry our cross to the end of the hall in order to share truth with our teenage children, but it matters. A lot.
We can be comforted knowing we are not all equipped or called to the same mission field. Our journey to follow Jesus will vary. We operate under the giftings and guidance of the Holy Spirit according to God’s will for each of us (1 Corinthians 12:45). However, what is similar is that we will each learn how to deny ourselves and carry our burden for the Gospel into whatever arena He sends us.
The cross of Christ was a burden that only the Son of God could bear for us. Yet in imitation of Him, our lives can represent that burden. The burden we bear is accepting – the weight, the suffering – for God’s absolute truth to be heard, and in turn souls saved, no matter the cost.
Some of us may:
- Pray through the night for lost.
- Give up our dream swimming pool savings account to fund a ministry.
- Get unfriended or “unfamilied” because sharing the truth was seen as offensive.
- Miss out on a promotion because of integrity.
- Be misunderstood, misconstrued, or have our character questioned because we don’t align with the views of the fallen world we find ourselves in.
- Minister in recovery homes, halfway houses, bars, or prisons.
- Step into the dirty corners of homeless communities.
- Carry Bibles to the underground church.
- Lose our very life to defend truth.
This is a short list, I know.
The important thing is, if we consider ourselves followers of Jesus and long to serve Him, we gladly endeavor to the ends of the earth, knowing the outcome is weighty. It is eternal.
As hard as it may be to trust God and carry our crosses, let us not grow weary in making His name known. The world needs Him more than ever.
Listen to the song here: https://youtu.be/Z97hau6mnDs?si=45SAphJrqkhsBL34
Take Up Your Cross, Words and Music by Mary James, Chris Surdock, Gary Livesay
© 2024 by Mary James. All rights reserved.
