"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 When we accepted Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savour, did we really realize that we also accepted His cross? Jesus told one young man that one thing he lacked, go sell all he had, give to the poor, take up his cross and follow Him. The Bible says that the young man went away sorrowful for he had great riches.
Taking up the cross to follow Jesus is not an easy task. Too many preachers have tried to fool people into believing that this Christian life is so easy and profitable that any sinner would gladly get rid of his poverty to accept this riches he heard preached about. The problem is, those who truly accept Christ, many times get just the opposite. They suffer and are rejected, they have sleepless nights of prayer and many times do without.
So what do we do? We carry the cross. No matter how hard, we carry on. No matter how heavy, we carry on. No matter the ridicule, we carry on. No matter the agony, we carry on. No matter how rough the road may get, we carry on.
Don't be surprised that when you carry that cross, the very ones that you love and you thought loved you will be the ones to nail you to your cross. They will walk away and wag their head and think they have done God a justice. Oh, but now you know what Jesus felt, what He faced. Now you can look past your beginning and see your end. Jesus was able to look past the suffering and shame and see a pure and holy bride standing by His side.
When asked, "would you do it again?" you can say "for the joy that was set before me...yes!" Look beyond your beginning and see your end! Remember, it is only those who endure to the end that shall be saved.
