Believer's Daily

Think of all the things that require daily attention. Depending on the number of people in your household, not to mention their ages, those "dailys" vary: dirty dishes, laundry, preparing meals, to mention only a few. Thank goodness, it's a daily thing to get a good night's rest from all the other ... "dailys!"

 

What does it mean to take up the cross?  Perhaps we should begin with what we find most loathsome: things we just don't feel like doing nor have a desire to do. Therein lies the center of bearing one's cross; that is, completely in the strength of Christ, replacing our own will with His Will. I can think of a good many yucky "dailys" -- dirty dishes, laundry, preparing meals ... oh, did I mention those already?  So it is with Godly disciplines we struggle with in our spiritual lives: peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, humility and love, to mention only a few. Luke 9:23 says, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."  J. H. Newman sums it up nicely: "To take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once for all; it consists in the continual practice of small duties which are distasteful to us." Distasteful or not, it is the Believer's daily -- take it up, bear it and follow Christ!