Mitchell County, NC

“And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”- Luke 14:27

The cross is central to everything for Christianity. Without Calvary’s cross, there is no redemption, no atonement, no propitiation, no substitution. Basically, there is no hope of having our sins forgiven. The cross is the centerpiece of our salvation, our walk with the Lord, and everything that we have in and through Christ.

In this chapter in Luke, Christ is telling His disciples that they should love Him above all else (verse 26). They were not supposed to be trying to follow two directions. It is all or nothing when it comes to following Christ. Nothing should be loved more; no one should be held in higher regard. Jesus is at the top. He should be the top priority, the top of our love list, the top of our desires. Jesus must take the top spot in our hearts and lives.

Verse 27 states that whosoever would not bear their cross could not be His disciple. When you saw someone carrying a cross in the days of Christ, you knew they were not coming back. The cross was a heavy burden of death. It was excruciating and humiliating. Yet Christ says, if you will not bear it, you cannot be my disciple.

Beloved, if we are going to follow Christ, we MUST bear the cross, whatever that may look like for each of us. For some, it may mean being resilient in an onslaught of attacks from the enemy. For some, it may mean suffering through an illness and not losing faith. Some may have to endure persecution and pain for their faith. For all of us, it does mean dying to self and living for Christ. It means what I want gets placed on the cross so that He can get the glory from the life we live in the faith of Christ.

Are you bearing your cross with faithfulness? Are you willing to bear it, no matter what that entails? If you want to be a disciple, bearing your cross is not optional.

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Rev. Nathan Silver is a Mitchell County native and is the Senior Pastor at Grassy Creek Baptist Church in Spruce Pine, NC. He is married to Jessica and they have two daughters Grace and Lida. He is passionate about his Savior and His Bride, the Church. Nathan loves spending time with his wife and daughters and being in the great outdoors. He loves preaching the Word of God and gathering with Saints in worshiping our Savior.

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