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A few days ago, I got a call from a family friend. He asked me if I could help him pull a deer out of the woods. With no hesitation, I answered, “Of course! I’ll be right there.” At the time, I had no idea that the deer was at the bottom of a hill riddled with trees and thorn bushes. Once I realized the effort that the situation would require, I ran back into the house to get my boots. After three hours of pulling a 200-pound deer over hills and through the creek, we finally arrived at his four wheeler.
If I’m being honest, before I agreed to help I had no idea where the deer actually was. But after seeing how much effort it took even with two people, I couldn’t imagine him doing it alone. Several times, in the middle of dragging the deer, I thought to myself, “There has to be another way.”
I slowly began to draw comparisons between hauling the deer and Jesus asking us to pick up our crosses daily. Jesus wasn’t referring to a physical cross, but He was preparing us for the weight that comes with choosing to follow Him.
"23 And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, [forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also]." - Luke 9:23 AMPC
Coming to Christ, I realized that some of us think that Jesus came to this earth and only did what God told Him to do because He was the Son of God. But the reality is, Jesus expects us all to carry our cross alongside Him.
"13 But insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, so that when His glory [full of radiance and splendor] is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph [exultantly].14 If you are censured and suffer abuse [because you bear] the name of Christ, blessed [are you—happy, fortunate, to be envied, with life-joy, and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward condition], because the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, is resting upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified." -1 Peter 4:13-14 AMPC
Much similar to carrying the deer through thorns on a narrow trail, carrying the cross of Jesus is supposed to be extremely difficult and uncomfortable.
"23 And someone asked Him, Lord, will only a few be saved (rescued, delivered from the penalties of the last judgment, and made partakers of the salvation by Christ)? And He said to them, 24 Strive to enter by the narrow door [force yourselves through it], for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able." - Luke 13:23 AMPC
The interesting thing is, if my neighbor had called and I refused to help, one would assume I didn’t love him because I chose not to participate in his sufferings. However, we claim to love Jesus but absolutely refuse to share in His sufferings and conform our life to His, understanding that death may be included.
"29 For you have been granted [the privilege] for Christ’s sake not only to believe in (adhere to, rely on, and trust in) Him, but also to suffer in His behalf." - Philippians 1:29 AMPC
The difference in me accepting the call to help with the deer, is that I knew it would be over within a few hours. But if we truly accept the call of Jesus, this is a weight that we will carry untill the end of our natural lives.
"38 But the just shall live by faith [My righteous servant shall live by his conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, and holy fervor born of faith and conjoined with it]; and if he draws back and shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight or pleasure in him. 39 But our way is not that of those who draw back to eternal misery (perdition) and are utterly destroyed, but we are of those who believe [who cleave to and trust in and rely on God through Jesus Christ, the Messiah] and by faith preserve the soul." - Hebrews 10: 38-39 AMPC
The Question of the Day: Are you leaving Jesus hanging in His sufferings through your pursuit of comfort?