Take up your cross and follow me.

"Freely you gave it all for us

Surrendered your life upon that cross

Great is your love

Poured out for all

This is our God

Lifted on high from death to life

Forever our God is glorified

Sovereign king

Rescued the world

This is our God"

I've been thinking about all these words today.  How I am reluctant to take up my cross and follow.  Following means going into the dark places of the earth, to be a beacon, to bring hope and light where there is slavery and all evils construed by the human heart and the devil.  

Freely Jesus gave it all for us..his whole life so we could be free.  In my reluctancy to take up a cross labelled JUSTICE and follow, I remember that Jesus did this freely, he surrendered his life.  He had great love and poured it out on the peoples of the world.

Lifted on high from death to life.  A triumphant victory over the grave.  As I die with Him I will also live with Him a victorious life.  My metaphorical death doesn't rescue the world, but it might help one person find freedom, it might inspire hope in the hopeless person.  It might start a fire that can't be put out.

Take up your cross and follow me..follow me into the earth, carry the tension of heaven's kingdom coming to earth.  Carry the tension of loving people in sin, being in the world but not of it.  Carry the cross of JUSTICE for here you will find me.  You will find me pouring out my love on broken humanity.

Zechariah 7:9

"This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.