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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

 

Dear Rev. Graham: I’m a new Christian trying to understand all the information about my new faith. I was told Christians have abundant life in Christ, but I’m getting ridiculed by my friends and laughed at for my beliefs. So what does the Bible mean when it says we should bear our own cross? I thought Christians were considered saints crowned with rewards for believing in Christ. – C.B.

 

Dear C.B.: In the ancient world there were three kinds of people who bore marks on their bodies: soldiers, slaves, and devotees – those who served a person or a cause. Christians have been called to all three and are often laughed at because they refuse to follow the crowd and compromise the purity that God commands. Christians have been reviled for the name of Christ but it brings glory to His name. This is bearing the marks of Christ.

Paul – beaten, imprisoned, and left for dead – said, “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Galatians 6:17, NKJV). “Blessed are you,” Jesus said, “when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. … For great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5:11–12, NKJV).

The fabric of society is frayed; human nature is laced with rebellion, indifference, and hatred for Christ. Jesus didn’t call us to wear a crown in this life. He called us to bear a cross and live for Him in the face of ridicule.

When we get to Heaven, though, we will put our crosses down and put on the crowns Jesus gives. Every earthly ruler has a coronation. But nothing will compare to Christ’s coronation in eternity. All who have surrendered to King Jesus will be granted entrance to this great celebration. Christians should seek the kind of life that reflects the beauty of Jesus and marks us as being what saints ought to be!

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)