August 1

Pick It Up!

 Peter answered [Jesus], “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  ––Matthew 19:27-28

In Matthew 19:29 Jesus mentions several things that His disciples may need to leave behind to follow Him:`

• Houses
• Brothers or sisters
• Father or mother
• Wife
• Children
• Fields

Was Jesus saying we should abandon our families to come follow Him? No. He was saying that in order to follow Him, we need to make Him our top priority—over every other thing in our lives (including our homes, possessions, job, and even our family). Logistically, being a disciple might mean periods away from family, but it certainly doesn’t mean we neglect our key relationships.

What I find interesting is that only twice does Jesus tell people to pick up something. He asks us to put a lot of stuff down—our selfish ambitions, wounds, sins, etc.—but only twice does He say, “Pick this up!”

The first is when he met the paralytic man on the Sabbath at the Pool of Bethesda, where presumably an angel would stir the waters so that the first person to enter the pool received healing. This paralyzed man had been unwell for 38 years, and lay next to the healing waters each day, waiting for someone to carry him into the pool when it stirred. I love how Jesus asks the man, “Do you want to get well?” In other words, do you want to keep sitting here feeling stuck, or do you truly want to be healed? Your choice. “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked” (John 5:1-10).

The second time Jesus tells people to pick something up is when He says:

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.  ––Matthew 16:24-25

A mat (or bed) and a cross—that’s what we are called to pick up. In the paralytic’s case, the mat represented his old life. Understandably, the man had little hope, and it wasn’t until Jesus shook him out of his old mindset that he was healed. In order to grow and move into the things of God, we must give up our old man—our old ways of thinking and acting. Then, once we get up, we must take up our cross and follow Jesus. This involves willingly embracing the hardships and sacrifices that come with following Him, even to the point of death.

Man of God, you’ve “put down” a lot in your walk with Jesus—old patterns and sinful habits—and now it’s time to “pick up” your bed and take up your cross. It’s time to move. Jesus is waiting.

Father, help me leave my old life behind and truly take up my cross. You tell me that when I do, the burden will be light, and the payoff, huge.