Take Up The Cross

 Mark 8:34
Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

I have heard this scripture often used to describe people who have been going through difficult times. “This is the cross that is given to you to bear.” Bearing your cross goes deeper than going through your own personal hardship. 
Everyone, both Christian and unbeliever, goes through hard times and unwanted burdens in life. But, the cross that Christ refers to is a “death route” experience. The cross symbolizes death to self and all that is unholy. To take up the cross daily is an act of purpose and submission. Taking up the cross is telling God that you are submitted to His will and His plan for your life. Whatever that may bring, your heart is totally surrendered to Him. A true follower of Christ will make decisions that will often require him to deny what he wants and do what is best for the kingdom. Jesus said, “Come after me, and follow me.” Many follow Him for the loaves and the fishes, but turn aside when faced with having to pick up the cross. Such demands are too high of a price to pay. The things of this world, the creature comforts, and the approval of others is just asking too much to give up. 
Taking up the cross does not necessarily mean that one lives in poverty or without the enjoyments this life provides, but it does mean that one is willing to relinquish their hold of them to follow after Him. Our Christian journey will take us to a fork in the road. The cross lays at the crossroad. This is a place in your life where a decision is made to take up the cross and let God take full control of your life. Jesus asked this of the young man, “One thing you lack: go your way, sell everything you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.”- Mark 10:21. Unfortunately, this young man had a lot of riches and was not willing to take up the cross and surrender himself to God’s plan for his life.

Outward Appearance

 1 Sam 16:7
 for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

Things don’t always seem as they appear. It is in our nature to make an assessment and judgment on things that we observe. We do it all the time. Our judgment is based on past experience and what we have accepted as a norm for our culture. When we see a well-dressed person, we judge that they have means and care about how they look and present themselves to others. There may be other reasons why they dress up, but we make assumptions. Likewise, when we observe someone who is unkept and dressed in ragged clothes, we assume that they are possibly homeless and don’t have a place to care for their needs. 
The Bible talks about, “You shall know them by their fruit.” In context, scripture is talking about those who appear to be religious or say they are followers of Christ, but inwardly they are raven wolves. The Pharisees are a prime example. Things don’t always seem as they appear. Some will use this scripture in Samuel to say it does not matter what you look like on the outside, but the reality is that it does. Paul was careful not to be a stumbling block to others and was mindful of his influence for Christ. It is not God’s intention that we cast away outward appearance, It is important that outward appearance be a positive influence to the world around us. How we dress, the places we go, and the things we do matter. But God sees through our appearance, and sees the heart. We can’t fool God by trying to look good on the outside. He knows the desires of the heart and will speak to us first about our behavior, spirit and attitude. His first desire is for us to manifest the fruit of the Spirit and live our lives consistent with His word. David did not seem like a likely candidate to be King, but God had His hand on David, and looked at David’s heart. We may not seem to be the person for the job, but God, who knows the hearts of men, can take what appears to be weak and make it strong. 

Name Written in Heaven

 Luke 10:20
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

There is no doubt that God has the power to cast out demons from people who Satan has imprisoned and bound for years. He came to set the captive free, and empowered His followers to cast out demons in His Name. The ability to heal, or cast out demons is not done by our own power or any intrinsic value we possess. We see throughout the Bible the Apostles doing great things in Jesus' name. Jesus made it clear that doing such a task does not give you any assurance that you will have eternal life. Many will come to Him on that day and say “... Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name have done many wonderful works? (Mat 7:22). He will say to them, “depart from me you worker of iniquity, I know you not.” Their names were not written in heaven, their names could not be found in the book of Life. How does one get their names written in heaven (the book of life)? Those who put their faith in the Lamb of God who was slayed on the cross for the forgiveness of sin are written into the book of life. Jesus, the Lamb who was slayed from the foundation of the world, provided a way of escape from the lake of fire. Confess and believe He died for you, let Him into your heart. Let Him be Lord of your life. Rejoice that your name is written in heaven, and rejoice when a sinner who is lost in sin finds Jesus, and their name is also written in heaven.

Prosper and Success

 Gen 39:23
The keeper of the prison looked not at anything that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

To prosper or have good success is a subjective word in our language and culture. We would say that a person who has obtained a good paying job, saved money for his/her retirement and was able to provide for their family has had prosperity and success for life. One would not think that ending up in prison for something they did not do would be prosperous. Joseph was such a man. He was mistreated by his brothers, falsely accused, and thrown into prison for what appeared to be for a very long time. Yet, the Bible says that the Lord made him prosper. 
This is where the world view and the Christian view are viewed from different perspectives. Joseph lived a life of surrender to his God. He no doubt had his time of discouragements, and questioned his circumstances, but his life was not his own, it belonged to God. Even in the dark times of our lives, we can trust God that all things will work together toward a prosperous and successful journey. Knowing that we are in the will of God on our pilgrim journey, we can be confident that He is in control and will use our circumstances for the good. 
In the case of Joseph’s journey, God turned evil into good, and Joseph’s attitude and spirit demonstrated the fruit of righteousness and holiness. He did not become bitter or resentful, he trusted God to make him prosper and have the success that was planned for his life. 
It is good to have goals and aspirations, but all is for nothing and of no success if we are not following the will of God for our lives.