THE CROSS SHOULD NOT BE OUT OF OBLIGATION
As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene,[a] happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. (Luke 23:26 NLT)
The Romans forced a man named Simon to carry Christ’s cross, but God does not want to force anyone to carry his cross.
People sometimes want to force others to think like them or do things against their will, but God does not obligate anybody. He wants us to do what we do out of free will.
Jesus once said,”If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8:34)
This expression denotes freedom, that people have options, and that they can decide whether or not to serve Christ.
We decide whether or not we want to accept Christ as our Savior, if we want to serve in our Church, if we want to sacrifice a little of our life, our finances, time to serve others, etc.
God does not force us to pray, read the Bible, tithe, serve, or congregate in a church. Everything should be voluntary.
In the same way, we shouldn’t force anybody else. We should only teach the Word and let everyone decide for themselves whether or not they want to obey it and apply it to their lives.
Before making any decision, ask God in prayer what he wants you to do, ask him to show you his will and purpose for you.
As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene,[a] happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. (Luke 23:26 NLT)
Think about it:
What things have you done because you felt obligated to?
Do you serve God out of belief or obligation?
When will you decide to completely give yourself to God?