“The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny; he lost control when he picked up his cross. That cross immediately became to him an all-absorbing interest, an overwhelming interference. No matter what he may desire to do, there is but one thing he can do; that is, move on toward the place of crucifixion.”
A.W. Tozer
The term “Christian” has lost so much of it’s power over the years. In many ways it has become a mere label for someone that is mildly spiritual and attends a worship service on occasion. But, being a Christian is far more than attendance, and some mental assent to a set of beliefs. It’s far more than doing good deeds and treating people kindly. Sure, those are great things, and we are indeed commanded to do so. But …
Christianity is about surrendering.
“The man with a cross no longer controls his destiny…”
When we follow Jesus we relinquish our rights. We live in a society that promotes self, personal ambition, and control. The message of the gospel stands in stark contrast.
Luke 9:23
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
These aren’t easy words. The first readers of Luke’s gospel would have completely understood the cross as being a symbol of death. A death that was public, very painful, and humiliating on top of that. Before Jesus died He had to carry His own cross to Calvary. It was a one way, dead end walk that was guaranteed to end in death. As we “take up our cross and follow Jesus”, we are giving up our rights. We have committed to a death walk. We can’t dictate our path, the cross determines it for us.
Practically for us, this means we don’t ask God to bless our ambitions. Instead we surrender and yield to His plan. We have to give up our false illusions of control. Does this come easy? Absolutely not. Is it a one time surrender? Jesus answers clearly by telling us it is “daily”. Everything in us wants to pursue self. To put it bluntly, we are selfish. That is our nature. But God’s plan is surrender.
“That cross immediately became to him an all-absorbing interest, an overwhelming interference.”
Once we pick up the cross, Tozer is asserting it should become our defining focus. It’s not some side gig or hobby. It’s not just an “add on” to our daily lives. It’s not some occasional religious duty we perform. The cross becomes everything. The cross isn’t just one compartment of our lives. The cross is our place of death. All our movements, all our decisions, all our relationships. All are absorbed by the cross. It is indeed an “interference”. It gets in the way of our choices.
“No matter what he may desire to do, there is but one thing he can do.”
As we continue living in this interference changes start happening. Our desires begin to change. Our decisions begin to change. It’s a holy interference. Denying self and taking up the cross goes against our selfish desires, but in time our entire identity starts changing. Pursuing Him becomes part of what we want to do. The things we once valued highly suddenly don’t seem as important. It’s a process, but it’s worth it.
Christianity isn’t just some set of principles. Jesus wasn’t just some prophet that gave some strong advice for living. We are called to die. This death can be hard and even humiliating. But, there’s life, real life on the other side.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.