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Mark 8:34 - Take Up Your Cross.

Mark 8:34 (NLT) Then, calling the crowd to 
join his disciples, he said, If any of you 
wants to be my follower, you must turn from your 
selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.  

COMMENTARY PEARL

   In the first century, the cross was a 
scandalous symbol. You wouldnt have seen a Christian 
wearing one because the cross was a symbol of one of 
the worst deaths imaginable. 
   The Romans didnt invent crucifixion, 
but they perfected it as a form of torture. So, 
wearing a cross would have been the modern 
equivalent of wearing a miniature hangmans noose or 
an electric chair as an accessory. 
   The cross meant dying a bloody, painful, 
grueling, and long death. 
   Yet Jesus said, If any of you wants to 
be my follower, you must give up your own way, 
take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to 
hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if 
you give up your life for my sake and for the 
sake of the Good News, you will save it (Mark 
8:34-35 NLT). 
   We might refer to afflictions or 
challenges as our cross to bear, but that isnt what 
Jesus meant. Bearing a cross means the same thing 
for every person. It means dying to ourselves. 
It means living the Christian life the way 
Jesus wants us to live it. 
   Jesus was saying, If you will get your 
priorities in order, deny yourself, and take up the 
cross, then you will find the fulfillment you have 
been looking for. 
   In his letter to the churches in Galatia, 
the apostle Paul wrote, My old self has been 
crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but 
Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body 
by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and 
gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20 NLT). 
   Every day we have the choice to either 
live for ourselves or deny ourselves. If we will 
seek first the kingdom of God and put our 
priorities in order, then the rest of life will find 
its proper balance. [Greg Laurie from Harvest 
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY

Mark 8:34 - Take Up Your Cross.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211209-0832.html 

Mark 8:34-37 - FOLLOWING JESUS.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211023-0935.html 

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/