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Think about the significance of Good Friday!
The whole Bible points to this time frame and what follows.
This is the day Jesus carried the cross himself to be crucified till death for our sins.
Let’s take a Moment to Reflect on His Day and put ourselves in His position:
The cross was nothing small. Envision carrying a giant wooden cross that weighed over 300 pounds, dense, and jagged wood. Imagine carrying
something that heavy after already being beaten and whipped to the point of exhaustion. Yet, Jesus never said a sound (I know for me when I whip myself attempting double-unders I yell). To add insult to injury Jesus was mocked the whole time in the process. Finally, Jesus was nailed to the cross he carried and left their to die. Jesus did this all out of love and to live out what the Scriptures foretold. Good Friday is the origin of real cross fit. A lifestyle choice we chose to make once we make the decision to follow Jesus.
How can we train to be a Real CrossFitter like Jesus?
- Pick up your Cross
- Crucify your Flesh
Pick up your Cross
I don’t know about you but I struggle so much in this area. It is easy to wear a necklace or have a cross tattoo, but forget the whole meaning behind the cross itself and what it means. It is a daily practice to take up our personal cross. What does it mean to carry the cross? This phase is referred several times in the bible from Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, and Luke 9:23-24. Real cross fit is when we learn to take up our cross daily and carry it.
The amplified goes into greater detail:
‘And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross daily [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to my example in living, and if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].” Luke 9:23 AMP
Right in this text we can see practical steps to picking up our cross daily:
- Set aside selfish interest
- Express a willingness to endure whatever may come
- Conform to His example in living and be willing to suffer or die because of our faith
First, there needs to be a desire to be His follower as a disciple. Its not until we have a burning desire to follow Him then we will have a willingness to endure whatever may come. The only way to have a deep desire to follow Jesus is to experience Him so completely in a personal relationship that it utterly changes our whole perspective and life. Then we can take up our cross by setting aside selfish interests and put others first. In this process we will begin to conform to Jesus’ character daily with selfless love and a servant heart.
Crucify your Flesh
The next step is to crucify your flesh, which is your ‘self’ or other words ‘sinful nature.’ Above we learned to set our ‘self’ aside, but when we set something aside it can come back. So, the next step is to crucify it and get rid of that behavior completely. How can we do this practically? Lets take another look at scripture below:
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” Galatians 5:24
This verse really paints the picture of nailing what was old and leaving it there. Jesus hands and feet were nailed to the cross, so we can be cleansed of our sin. It is important for us to intentionally nail our passions and desires of our sinful nature. Then leave them there to be crucified, which means to put to death. When we do this we ‘share’ in Jesus crucifixion, learn to trust Him more, and live the life He intended for us to live.
Again, the amplified version describes how we ‘shared’ in Jesus crucifixion and creates that personal connection. Without crucifying ourselves we would still be under the rule and power of our sinful nature, which leads to death. Today, crucify your feelings, passions, desires, and whatever else that may come between you and your relationship with Jesus.
Conclusions
Be intentional by declaring and announcing this daily:
- I will pick up my cross and be willing to endure whatever may come
- I will crucify my feelings and selfish ambition/desires
Remember, there couldn’t be a Resurrection Sunday without the Crucifixion Friday. Which means to truly receive the new life that God promises there needs to be complete removal of our old lives. For true renewal in our lives we need to crucify ourselves and be revived by the Holy Spirit. This is how we develop true spiritual growth by surrendering our lives completely. In time, this will train us to become disciplined disciple’s.
Encouragement
No matter the trials and hardship you face in life. Jesus will help you overcome them. Focus on what Jesus faced to help you when you are suffering. Similar to CrossFit, you will find joy in suffering and nothing in this world will be able to bring you down, because you will no longer be of this world.
Recommend Resources:
- Listen to Craig Groeschel Leadership podcast with Rich Froning
- Read through Rich Froning’s YouVersion devotional
- Research article by Edwards et al 1986 called ‘Physical Death of Jesus Christ‘, which has anatomical pictures of Jesus being crucified.
It’s not just the presence of the cross (around your neck or on your shirt), it’s the message of hope behind it that only you can give to someone today.
