Luke 23:33
“And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.”
If you are successfully going to serve Christ for your entire life, you are going to have to carry a cross. Luke 9:23 says,“…If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” There is no getting around the fact that you are going to have a cross that you must bear. Your cross will bring out a response in you that will either cause you to quit serving the LORD, or it will bring out a response that will magnify Christ through you.
When we think of the cross, we often think of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ for the sins of mankind. Certainly, Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, but when you look at what transpired on that day, you will see that there were others who responded to the cross. There were four responses to the cross that every person will have to deal with when it comes to their cross.
The first response to the cross is found in verse 36 when the soldiers mocked Jesus. Verse 47 shows us that these soldiers knew who Jesus was. The cross caused these soldiers to mock. I have watched many Christians allow their cross to drive them to mock the very life they once lived. No, a Christian never loses their salvation, but they can lose their testimony for Christ. You must be careful that you don't allow the hardships of life to drive you to mock the lifestyle of Christianity. The Devil would love nothing more than to see you become a person who denigrates the Christian life. You must never let the hardness of the Christian life drive you to be so hardened that you mock the life you once embraced.
The second response to the cross is anger. In verse 39, one thief was angry, not only at those who crucified him, but also at Christ for supposedly not saving him. Many people have allowed their cross to turn them into an angry person. A man once told me that one thing I would have to watch for in my life is that I don't allow the battles of life to make me a bitter and angry person. If you are not careful, your cross will make you bitter and angry to the point where you can't help anyone.
The third response to the cross is self-examination and repentance. The other thief looked at his condition and realized that he deserved the cross. Instead of getting angry, he asked Jesus to save him. You can let your cross drive you to anger, or you can let it show you things in your life that you need to change. Instead of letting your cross make you angry, let it be a time of self-examination to see what you need to change.
The fourth response to the cross is forgiveness and concern for others. This is the response to where the cross should bring you. Jesus didn't let the cross make him angry, but he realized that those hurting him were broken people who needed forgiveness and help. When your cross brings you to forgive others, it will then cause you to want to help others out of their broken condition.
What is your response to your cross? Don't let your cross drive you to hatred and criticism. Let your cross be the tool you use to help others out of their broken condition. The cross will only be that tool if you learn to forgive.