The cross doesn’t just tell us we’re saved – it tells us how to live. “If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). That daily taking-up is the pattern of the whole Christian life: Jesus paid the price to restore fellowship with us and equip us for His work, and now He asks us to lose our life for His sake so we can truly find it (Matthew 16:25). Living for God begins at the cross, and it begins again every morning.
But a life given to God still has to be lived on purpose. Denying yourself daily means refusing to be pulled in every direction the world offers. “Let your eyes look right on… Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or to the left” (Proverbs 4:25-27). Focus isn’t a productivity trick here – it’s discipleship. The one who has taken up his cross fixes his eyes forward and lets God establish his steps, instead of drifting after every distraction.
And that focused, cross-shaped walk is exactly how we lay hold of what God has promised. We’re called to be “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12), and it starts by seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). When Jesus died, He gave it all – “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3-4). So take up your cross, keep your eyes fixed forward, and walk in patient faith. Everything you need to live an abundant life has already been secured for you in Christ.
Cross Commission Ministries 