Sorrow vs. Salvation

Back once again this week, massive thank you to Jono for covering for me last week! As you may have seen in the last post, he has started his own blog, so you may want to go check it out! I'd love it if you spared a moment to check out and "like" my Facebook page, which you can find a link for here! I had the idea for this blog earlier this week, I was thinking about how God calls us to take up our cross and follow him, and I thought about what the cross means to me. When Jesus physically bore the cross, he bore the sin of the world on his shoulders and died on it at the end of the day. Surely this isn't what God calls us to do, carry the sin of the world on out shoulders until it overcomes us and kills us? Remember, this is only my opinion on it. Interested? Well, read on and find out!

Matthew 11:30- For my yoke is easy and my burden is light

This idea ties in well with a blog I have posted previously, where a lot of the time god's logic seems to be the opposite of what we think. How can a burden be light? Our English dictionary defines a burden as "a load, something worrisome that is difficult to bear, Responsibility, to weigh down and oppress." and associates it with words like Encumber, Grieve, Overload, Affliction and Sorrow. I don't care how light this burden is, this doesn't sounds like something God wants us to carry! Now, the cross, is a perfect symbol for a burden. The Cross burdened Christ as he made his way to his place of crucifixion. In Roman times the cross was the symbol you carried to your grave- It was literally a death sentence. I thought about this for a while, and then it began to sit uneasy with me. Luke 9:23 says- Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must first deny himself, take up their cross daily and follow me". Why would Christ call us to carry a symbol of death, afflictions and sorrow with us daily? Considering this, I began to wonder, what does the cross really symbolize? I mean, I had thought it was anguish, sorrow and death, but did Jesus' crucifixion change this? Jesus is known for drawing water from rocks, turning water into wine and bringing the dead back to life, surely he can change a cross, a mourned symbol of death, into a joyous sign of salvation? 

Well, I don't know about you, but I sure think he did. When God calls us to take up our cross, he doesn't call us to burden ourselves with sorrow, anguish and pain, but rather take up our salvation daily and follow him! Every day is a new day to spend in his presence. Every day people look at us outwardly and see us bearing a cross, little do they know is its not a burden, its our salvation lifting us up! Its like a magnet. We carry it daily, but it never ways us down. It is always pulled heavenward, so it is always easier to walk when we carry it. Have a look around your life. Do any of the things in your life match the description of a burden? If so, I challenge you to cast your anxiety on God, and take up your cross of Salvation. You thought you were flying now? Wait until that burden gets lifted. Be Blessed! 

Salvation is Here- Hillsong

Romans 8:38-39