Life Ministries

Follow - 4
“Nets and Crosses”

    Yesterday’s concern was “nets” and how a net can be anything that stands between us and becoming fully devoted followers of Christ. People can be nets; our friends, family, peers, co-workers; things can be nets; possessions that we just cherish and can’t let go of or give up to follow completely; money and the strive for success can be a net; (note) not IS a net, but CAN be a net. Sometimes our attitudes can be a net. Our attitude toward someone or even toward the church can hold us back from following completely.

    What I want to do today is to sort of “meld” together the thought of nets; and the fact that scripture says the disciples “left their nets” – or “dropped their nets”…with Luke 9:23 - “anyone who would come after me must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”  It would be my hope that I can point out the fact that sometimes what we may perceive to be a “cross” can also become a “net”.
    After loving and leading the disciples through the early season of their “followership”, Jesus introduces an element of following that serves as sort of a “fork in the road”.  “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross daily, and follow me.” He positions a cross as an inevitable companion of the devoted follower. We have to carry this cross “daily”…it is always with us. What he is simply saying is that there is a daily price to pay…there is a cost involved.
    The old adage that “there is no such thing as a free lunch” holds true for everything of value and worth. We are constantly receiving “free” offers in the mail…usually of some grand and exotic scale; but when you read the fine print, it becomes evident that there is a cost involved.
    When it comes to followership, Christ is right up front about the cost. The cost of followership is found in some of the more prized currency of this life, such as; comfort; convenience; health; wealth; time; and even family and friends. Jesus says, “If you follow me, you may have to give up some of the things in life that the world seeks after and never really finds. You may have to “deny self” of some of the pleasures the world has to give, for the benefit of the church and the kingdom and the glory of God.  However, as we will see, the cost and the cross can both become “nets” that prevent us from following with a “fully devoted heart.”
    Sometimes crosses can be fleeting things that we must bear and they are soon gone; other times crosses may be something we must bear for a lifetime; however, cross bearing does not mean that we don’t laugh, have fun, or enjoy life. It simply means that no “stress” or “circumstance” or “trial” nor even “reward” is worth departing from our devotion to follow Christ.
    There are some elements of “bearing our cross” that are important for us to understand; For instance, we must follow with a willing heart. If following Christ or being a “Christian” is a duty or a chore…if it is a “woe is me” kind of attitude…”I never get to do anything fun”...“Good guys always finish last”...“Well, if I don’t go to church, study, or this or that function…I don’t know what people might think.”…If following with a “fully devoted heart” feels like something you have to do instead of something you really enjoy, it’s not a cross, it’s a net!
    We also need to know that cross-bearing is an individual experience. I can’t pick up your cross, and you can’t pick up mine. My cross may be far different than your cross… but Jesus words were “deny himself” and “pick up his cross”…our own cross, and follow Him.
    Crosses come because we live in a world that is hostile toward the one that we follow. Our actions, our words, our attitudes become a source of conviction to those who do not know Christ. But, if we don’t live as a fully-devoted follower of Christ, if we don’t live in a “counter-culture” so to speak, the world would not know there is a better alternative in life. One thing that is important for us to know as far as cross-bearing is that crosses are not just any kind or every kind of suffering…they are a direct result of a choice to follow Christ. He says “Anyone who would follow me…must pick up his cross”… Drop our nets, and pick up our cross… whatever that may be.
    There were some who were following Christ who said “This is too much to ask”…”This is too much to bear”… and it says they walked away and returned to their homes” ( What does that mean to you? )
    Unfortunately, many Christians – for the sake of comfort, convenience, pleasure, or fear, will lay down their cross. Consider Peter; when he was accused of being a follower, what did he do? … He allowed his fear and the attempt to please men to cause him to deny Christ… As followers, we are always called to “lay down our nets”…but never our “crosses”.  If we are tempted to avoid the cost of our faith, whatever way that might be, we are allowing the cross of “following” to become a net.
    As followers we must gladly quote Galations 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”…and I am a follower!