NEVER TRIM THE CROSS!

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24, KJV)

A story was told about a man that bore a cross. After carrying it for some time, he cried unto God, complaining that the cross was too heavy, saying he would love to trim it a little to ease the burden. And that he did, to make it a little lighter.

After a little while, he cried again, and trimmed it yet again. And this went on severally and the cross became very light until a certain day when he got to a point where he needed to cross from one end of a divide to another but suddenly realized the importance of the cross. He saw other people using their own cross as a bridge to cross over the divide, but the length of his cross could not cover the length because he had trimmed it.

The above scenario is a classical representation of our Christian walk in the age in which we now live in.

We want to carry the cross without a burden, forgetting that Jesus Himself had to go through the burden of carrying His cross and Galatians 6:5 says:

“For every man shall bear his own burden.”

Which means there is indeed a burden to bear, but today’s Christians no longer want to bear the burden that goes with salvation. So what do they do? They trim the cross that they are meant to carry, by accepting certain norms of the world by condescending to worldly standard.

More painful is the fact that Christians who are meant to speak against certain ills are the very ones advocating for them.

Those who are meant to uphold righteousness, even by their dressing, now say our dressing doesn’t matter. While some Christian sisters now show off their cleavages, some brothers sag their trousers, all in the name of fashion.

A lot of people claim they have turned a new leaf and have accepted the Lordship of Jesus Christ yet still seat with ungodly friends at joints where they smoke hemp and drink beer, and they tell you it doesn’t matter. I am not saying we should be enemies with unbelievers, but if we say we are born again yet still find pleasure doing what they do, we would be directly or indirectly trimming the cross.

Some Christian sisters now dress in seductive attires, revealing their sensitive body parts, use loud make ups that we can no longer tell the difference between them and prostitutes yet say it doesn’t matter. And some brothers carry hairstyle and use earrings like women, and they look like criminals yet defend themselves with excuses.

God wants us to fully represent Him with our lifestyle and therefore went ahead to admonish us in Psalms 1 vrese 1 and in Romans 12 vreses 1 and 2 as follows:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

A lot of those that act against biblical injunctions do not realize that they are gradually trimming their cross. And when they get to the judgment throne of God with their already defiled garments; trimmed cross, and are denied access to heaven, they suddenly realize that their cross have been trimmed during their earthly walk.

The cross may be heavy, but Jesus Himself has guaranteed to make it light for us: Matthew 11:28-30. So instead of looking for shortcuts, why not settle with Him?

The cross may seem heavy today, but at the end it will serve a greater good for us.

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; – 2 Corinthians 4:17”

Why not surrender to the will of God today and let Him guide you through?

It is my prayer that as you carry your cross today, may His unfailing grace enable you to press on, in Jesus Precious Name.

It is well with you!

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