“Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:38

We are in the “dog days” of summer. This has been an interesting summer, here in Pennsylvania. We have had weeks of rain – or should I say feet of rain; it has been hot and humid for a few days; and some days it has been comfortable. However, we have not seen a stretch of the hot and humid stuff like we used to have. And, I have not had to pine for the cold days of winter. During the height of the Communist rule in the former Soviet Union, Pastor Ivan Minailo was exiled to prison in Siberia. His crime? He refused to betray Jesus and his five small congregations by becoming an informant for the secret police. He would be marched to a remote prison camp along with nine hundred other “criminals”. Along the way he would develop severe frost-bite on his feet. Yet, he did not stop marching. Would we say that Pastor Ivan had a cross to bear, and he bore it faithfully? Absolutely. Too many people today say they have a cross to bear, and it is no more than having an ache or pain that limits them in some capacity for a short amount of time. Some people will say that they have an “excruciating” pain – not knowing of course that the root work within that word is the Latin word “crux” or “cruc-a” meaning cross.

 “Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me”.  It appears that the stakes are high, when compared to the cross that Christ suffered for all of us. So let’s be clear – to bear the cross for Christ is willingly enduring suffering that comes as a result of following Jesus. This requires a willing heart. There will be times when we reach a crossroads in our lives: being comfortable, or following Christ; going with the crowd, or following Christ; vacationing or going on a mission trip for Christ. It is a hard line that Jesus drew in the sand – but living the Christ-like life in this world is hard – sometimes really hard. Of course, cross-bearing does not have to mean that our lives are not without the good times, and the joys of living. As such, there will be seasons where the cross-bearing is easy and others where it is “excruciating”. 

So here’s the rest of the story: Ivan suffered under the brutal elements of Siberia and the cruel taskmasters of the prison camp for 10 years before he was released. But regardless of his suffering, he sought to use the season of difficulty to lift Jesus up. As he worked in villages as a prisoner, he led people to Jesus and, get this, today there are churches throughout Siberia that were established by the witness of prison laborers who exalted Jesus in the midst of their suffering.

What will you decide the next time you have to choose between carrying your cross and laying it down for a more comfortable existence?

Cross-bearing is an individual experience. Why is this important?

Pastor Dave