Are you carrying your Cross or your Cupcake?

    You may be asking what in the world does that mean. Carrying my Cross or my Cupcake?  Me no understand...  This is a simple question of Salvation and bearing fruit. Christ said that in order for us to follow Him we must pick up our cross. Some might argue that this simply means living a good moral life and nothing more, but I would argue that His audience (Jews) were already living a good moral life as they were living deeply in the Law of God (although legalistically).  So what this tells me is that it means much more than this, it means just that...picking up our cross. Submitting to Christ in every area and following the Will of God.

     First of all this is a salvation issue. Have you ever had a time in your life where you submitted and committed to Christ? If not you need to seriously examine your faith. But what about Christians?  Are we carrying our Cross?  Or our we simply indulging in our Cupcakes? The reason I use this term is because you are either a cross carrier or a cupcake. You are either seeking after the Kingdom of God or the things of this world. We involve ourselves in "ministries" so we can appease our guilty conscience. "Well, Junior is involved in awana so I am going to be there and help out." or "I like to Sing so I will be involved in Choir." When in fact true ministry is sacrifice. True ministry is doing the things you may not want to do. Its going and ministering to someone in their home on a Tuesday night, not just when you happen to be at church on Sunday. We need to be setting up our budgets so that we can give more than 10% to the Lord. "Hey, lets not eat out this weekend let's eat Ramen Noodles for Jesus!"

     So are you carrying your cupcake, the light delicious flesh pleasing dessert that makes you feel good? Or are you carrying your cross, looking for others to minister to and looking for ways to benefit and build up the Kingdom of God glorifying the name of Jesus even when it means sacrificing your time, money or pleasure?

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. (Philippians 4:12-14)