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Take Up Your Cross! Plus information about Matthew 10:34-36!



"Then He [Jesus] said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me" - Luke 9:23 

 The cross example used here means our responsibilities  and/or temptations as Christians. Daily, we fight the Devil and his schemes. Daily we face temptation. But we always overcome come it, if we have faith. Jesus never said that this life, would be a life of freedom! In this world's cycle, there is always an enemy. In this case, Satan, who is boiled over with jealousy at our power and inheritance! Of course, we have our blessings, but daily we must serve Jesus. That is what this verse means. To serve Jesus daily. We must say that He is in control of our lives! 
Does this mean we have no peace? 
No. We have peace as we serve and follow Jesus wit hour crosses. A loving peace. Warm and tender and not the peace of this world. Let me touch on this verse that many people ask about: 
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  For I have come to turn“‘a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—36     a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ - Matthew 10:34-36          
Image for this verse: 

This verse means that we have no peace, IN THIS EARTH. Jesus brings peace spiritually. Jesus was warning these sinners about the end time. How members of their own unity will divide against each other - take France for example. People from its nation trying to destroy it. We can never expect peace in this earth!  Jesus brought a sword to defeat death and sin. This all happens spiritually, and not to a believer, but an unbeliever! Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary says: 
"Our Lord warned his disciples to prepare for persecution. They were to avoid all things which gave advantage to their enemies, all meddling with worldly or political concerns, all appearance of evil or selfishness, and all underhand measures. Christ foretold troubles, not only that the troubles might not be a surprise, but that they might confirm their faith. He tells them what they should suffer, and from whom. Thus Christ has dealt fairly and faithfully with us, in telling us the worst we can meet with in his service; and he would have us deal so with ourselves, in sitting down and counting the cost.". Christ was warning us about the things that would happen to us if we left Him, did not deny ourselves! There would be NO peace. There is no point in praying for world peace. This earth is rotting away! Scripture Back-up: Psalm 102:6 talks about the unbelievers, dying as the consequence of not believing in Jesus. Where, they will divide against each other explaining Matthew 10:34-36! 
Extract from Ellicot's Commentary for English Reader's: 
Think not that I am come to send peace.—Truth appears again in the form of seeming paradox. "Christ is “our peace” (Ephesians 2:14), and came to be the one great Peacemaker; and yet the foreseen consequences of His work involved strife and division, and such a consequence, freely accepted for the sake of the greater good that lies beyond it, involves, in fact, a purpose. The words are the natural expression of such a thought; and yet we can hardly fail to connect them with those which, in the earliest dawn of His infancy, revealed to the mother of the Christ that “a sword should pass through her own soul also"

 So Jesus was talking about the great division there will be between Christians and fellow Christians. That is, the other 'so-called' Christian religions. People will not know which Christianity is the True Christianity! E.g the Orthodox, Catholics etc. Christianity is not a religion! It is the Truth and is a reality! Jesus used himself to tell us a greater message: This earth does not bring peace. He is the centre of peace, and His peace is different from the world's so-called peace (John 14:27).

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