“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” Mark 8:34 ESV¹

Read Matthew 10:34-39, Mark 8:34-38 & Luke 14:25-33

Maybe it is because we have become accustomed to adorning ourselves with cross jewelry. Maybe it is because we find it fashionable to decorate our homes with cross accents. Maybe it is all of the gracious blessings we receive because of our association with Christ, but in this day and age, we have lost the horror of the Cross. Even when we speak of bearing a cross, we only mean that we are enduring some unpleasant circumstances. But when the first-century followers of Christ heard Jesus say they must take up their crosses to be His disciples, they would have been both confused and dismayed. Continue reading →