And he said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23.
The way of the cross is the way of eternity with Jesus. It demands that we let go of our own will to follow Jesus daily. Jesus came and walks the earth like any human; He denied himself of comfort, carried His cross and allowed the will of God to prevail. The way of the cross is the way of life and this is the foundation of Christianity. The way of the cross is the way of Holiness and Righteous living. It is a state of life where lust and selfish desires are not allowed to overcome the spirit of God in us. It is a way of life where we made conscious efforts to resist committing sin, the old man is allowed to die and the new man prevails. The old man in us has to be crucified, or drowned, if God’s will is to be done. (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12).
Walking in the way of the cross simply mean that we should “Live the way Jesus lived”. Long ago before the New Testament, our attention was also drawn to what God requires of us, Micah 6:8 He has shown you O man what is good and what the Lord requires demand of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
The Way of the Cross requires of us to be just in our relationship with our fellow humans. (Matthew 22:37-40).To do the right thing always, to be fair in all our dealings, avoid personal interest that will have negative implication on the lives and well being of others, to be kind hearted, to be nice to people. Jesus did not give up on people; he will always like to do something about their problem.
The way of the cross requires us to show mercy to others for the Bible says “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy…. “
The way of the cross is the way to learn and show forgiveness. The Bible urged us to make allowance for each other’s faults. Col. 3:13 (NLT). Even at the point of death Jesus prayed for those that killed him. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing”. Luke 23:34. Jesus neglected the excruciating pains at that moment of death to ask God for forgiveness of those that wronged Him. The way of the cross teaches us to be humble. Forget about your riches, background, academic achievements, your “hard earn” position, title and various accomplishments, embrace humility as it brings honour from God before men. The way of the Cross is to live a life of sacrifice; it is not a “Marriage of Convenience” as you cannot have it all. It is a daily walk with God; it needs your commitment, time, money and strength. It will surely take some comfort from you. Jesus forgo a lot of
comfort to please God. The way of the cross is a way of purposeful living, a life that bears fruit.
Living the way of the cross gives us power over sin and the flesh, the chains of sin are broken, Rom. 6:14, and they we are made into a new creature, 2 Cor. 5:17. The way of the cross gives power to every believer to overcome the dictates, practices and traditions of this world which are contrary to the ways of righteousness. 1 John 5: 4– 5. When God commanded us not to love the world, and when His word says we should not conform to the world, it was because He knows we have the power to overcome. Through the cross of Christ, the believer has power over the devil and all his agents of darkness. We are expected to deal with them, cast them out of people possessed by
them without us being hurt. Luke 10: 18 – 19. His death on the cross purchased for us a good health, and assures us of divine healing in times of sicknesses and diseases. All the stripes He received on the cross are meant for our healings and freedom from all afflictions against our body. 1 Peter 2:24. Jesus chose to come with a low and poor background, suffer and died a shameful death, so that we can enjoy the riches of God in all ramification. He became poor for our sakes that we might be rich through His poverty. 2 Corinthians 8:9. We are qualified to receive the power of the Holy Spirit because of the works of redemption on the cross of Calvary. This power prepares and enables us to be effective.
This year and beyond as you decide to walk in the way of the Cross, it is my prayer that the Almighty God will give you grace and He will perfect all that concerns you in Jesus Name.
Your brother, friend, Pastor & Archdeacon
‘Seyi Pirisola.