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DO NOT WASTE YOUR CROSS

Deborah Q Marcos / 2021-12-08

Cross in this context is something that weighs us down, something that we carry, something we worry about, something that makes us cry, something that “eats up our brain”.

First, I would like to give a fun fact about myself. I am not sure if this is cultural, or if it is for my age, or probably, I just got this through the years. I am frugal. I do not want to waste a lot. Classic example is that I save the plastic food containers that they use for food to go, or even the plastic shopping bags I neatly fold them and keep them for future use. So when I was diagnosed of breast cancer last February 2020, I said to myself that I will not waste this cancer. My message for today is pretty radical, because it sounds like cancer is something that I like. Please don’t get me wrong. I want to come out of this experience strong, turn it around and bring out the best in me.

So when I say cross, cancer in my case, I request all readers to think of your own cross. It could be issues concerning your health, finances, emotional like depression and anxiety, or relationships.

1. Do not waste your cross by worrying

When I was first diagnosed with cancer, my first response was to worry. What will happen to my work? What about my family? What about my daughter, she’s just 11 year at that time? But I realized that when I worry, I focus my thoughts and emotions to my cancer. Worrying is allowing my cancer to be magnified. That is something disturbing because worry, fear, anxiety are Satan’s tactics to get us to doubt God, to doubt His power, to doubt His mercy and thus destroy our faith. But every cross that we have is an opportunity for God to show His power. In Philippians 4:6-7, it says “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. So when we are tempted to worry about our cross, cry to God in prayers.

2. Do not waste your cross by seeking comfort from the odds and the internet

When I was first diagnosed of cancer, my doctors presented me with so many statistics and studies. Like the survival rates, incidence rates etc…It is very tempting to research in the internet and find solution my own way. It is not wrong to know more about cancer or your cross. But the lure to know more and more about it and thus spending less time with God is more concerning. Our cross is meant to waken us to the reality of God. In 2 Corinthians 1:9, “Yes, we had a sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead”. What a waste of cancer/cross if we read about it day and night and not about God.

3. Do not waste your cross by not preparing for our own death

We all will die (unless Jesus comes back sooner than our life span). It is a waste of your cross if you don’t think of your own death. The sooner we realize that, the sooner we prepare for it. And by that I mean, preparing for the life beyond this physical realm. In the grand scheme of things, our cross is just a dot. So we might as well make the most of every moment here on earth. In Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”. Numbering days means thinking how limited they are and that they will end. That means, no matter how painful or challenging our days are, we should make the most of it by preparing for our own death both physical and the life after.

4. Do not waste your cross by isolating yourself

The whole message of the Bible is about relationships: with God and fellowmen. Genesis 2:18, “God said, it is not good that man should be alone’. From the very beginning, we are not designed to be alone. So why do we waste our cross in isolation? We have to get out of there, either to help others or be helped. The cross is an opportunity to speak with others, to bear witness about God. It is an opportunity that Christ is more worthy than life. Do not waste it.

5. Do not waste your cross by thinking that “beating” it means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ

Satan’s design for our cross, for our challenges is to destroy our love for Christ. God’s design on the other hand, deepens your love for Christ. If I die from cancer, it does not mean that I lose my battle. You lose your battle not by dying from it but by failing to cherish Christ. Philippians 3:8, “I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ”. Therefore, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). Even if I live for many more years after my cancer treatment does not mean that I have won my battle. I won this battle because with it, I have learned how to cherish Christ.

And so, how do we cherish Christ? In John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandment”. This simply means obeying the Gospel through baptism and being faithful until the end.

How to obey the Gospel?

Hear the truth – John 6:45

Believe the truth of Christ – 1 Cor 15:1-4

Repent of sins- Acts 2:38

Confess faith in Christ – Acts 8:37

Be baptized – Gal 3:27

Be faithful – Rev 2:10

I hope and pray that you have been touched to the heart with my sharing today. Whatever cross you are bearing right now, please know that you are not alone. If you’d like to learn more about Jesus, or if there is anything you think we could help, please send us a message at Golden Gate Church of Christ.