What Is My Cross?

Luke 9:22-24 (New American Standard Bible)
saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day." And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 (New American Standard Bible)
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

Do I qualify as a follower of Jesus Christ? Do I deny myself, pick up my cross and follow Him daily? What is my cross? Is it a day at the spa? A potluck dinner? A two hour church service on my day off? Or is my cross one that is described in the verses above because I shared the gospel with family & friends and live to please my Lord and Savior daily denying myself and proclaiming His truth that offends people who love their sin?

John 17:13-15 (New American Standard Bible)
The Disciples in the World
"But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one."

John 15:18-19 (New American Standard Bible)
Disciples' Relation to the World
"If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you."

Deadly Deception Cloaked In Living Truth

2 Corinthians 11:13-15
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

Hebrews 5:11-14
Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

My Prayer:
Oh Lord please deliver us if indeed we are dull of hearing. There is a lack of discernment due to being spiritually immature, not practicing discernment or out right rebelling against the truth. So many churches are believing & teaching a deadly deception cloaked in living truth. We are allowing this counterfeit to be declared as truth in our homes and churches. Lord, forgive us and wake us up to desire and seek Your truth. Give us a hunger for the pure truth not a regurgitated version of Your truth that comes from popular authors or speakers or even pastors today.

2 Peter 2:1
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

1 Tim 6:20-21
O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge" which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith Grace be with you.

Polluting the temple of God.

My thoughts as of late have been focused on how I may be polluting the temple of God. In my Bible readings I see time and time again how the Lord abhors the mixing of anything worldly with His people or His ways or His Words. I want to understand and know the Lord and so when I read that His character doesn't change, that Jesus Christ is the same today as He was yesterday and so on....then I must not ignore how the Lord's heart is grieved and angered when I/we change or add to what He has revealed about Himself in Scripture. It seems the movement among churches and Christians today is to let our emotions guide our discernment. If it brings me warm fuzzies and serves "my" purpose then I/we easily justify it before God even though it is contrary to His Word. I/we distort how He has revealed Himself in His Living Word and I/we try to mix my/our own opinions in just to "tweak" it up a bit. This is polluting and defiling the temple of God because as a born again believer He dwells in me and I am participating in and taking the twisted truths into my mind and heart and influencing others to do the same. Since when did it become ok to portray God any other way than the way He has already portrayed Himself? When did the creation become arrogant enough to re-write the Creator? Well, here is just a portion of Scripture that addresses such behavior:
1 Sam 12:20-25

Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile. For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way. Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away."