Mark 10:21

“Take up the cross, and follow me.”
— Mark 10:21

You have not the making of your own cross, although unbelief is a
master carpenter at cross-making; neither are you permitted to choose
your own cross, although self-will would fain be lord and master; but
your cross is prepared and appointed for you by divine love, and you
are cheerfully to accept it; you are to take up the cross as your
chosen badge and burden, and not to stand cavilling at it. This night
Jesus bids you submit your shoulder to his easy yoke. Do not kick at it
in petulance, or trample on it in vain-glory, or fall under it in
despair, or run away from it in fear, but take it up like a true
follower of Jesus. Jesus was a cross-bearer; he leads the way in the
path of sorrow. Surely you could not desire a better guide! And if he
carried a cross, what nobler burden would you desire? The Via Crucis is
the way of safety; fear not to tread its thorny paths.

Beloved, the cross is not made of feathers, or lined with velvet, it is
heavy and galling to disobedient shoulders; but it is not an iron
cross, though your fears have painted it with iron colours, it is a
wooden cross, and a man can carry it, for the Man of sorrows tried the
load. Take up your cross, and by the power of the Spirit of God you
will soon be so in love with it, that like Moses, you would not
exchange the reproach of Christ for all the treasures of Egypt.
Remember that Jesus carried it, and it will smell sweetly; remember
that it will soon be followed by the crown, and the thought of the
coming weight of glory will greatly lighten the present heaviness of
trouble. The Lord help you to bow your spirit in submission to the
divine will ere you fall asleep this night, that waking with
to-morrow’s sun, you may go forth to the day’s cross with the holy and
submissive spirit which becomes a follower of the Crucified.

On this day…

• Apocrypha – 2025
• Quotes – 2025
• Exodus 23 – 2024
• Exodus 22 – 2024
• April 18, 2014 – 2014
• But the wrath of God is the wrath of love, which is not out to destroy but, even in anger, is out to save those whom it loves – 2014
• The terrible thing about sin is that it makes people fugitives from God – 2014
• Genesis 31:53 – 2011
• Genesis 31.42 – 2011
• 2 Peter 3:18 – 2009