2,000 years ago when Jesus said these words, I imagine that those who heard Him gasped in shock.  In those days, the cross was a cruel from of capital punishment.  No, it wasn't a charm worn on necklaces, or a picture printed on a T-shirt. It represented death. The modern day equivalent of such a statement would be, "And whosoever doth not take up his electric chair and come after me, cannot be my disciple."

Christ is calling us, in essence, to come and die.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him, 'Come and die.'"  While this is true, He also calls us to "Come and live."  Just like He calls us to "Come and be free," while at the same time saying "Come and serve Me."

The emphasis is clear: unless we take up our cross, we cannot be a child of God.  But what does it mean to take up our cross?  In part, it means we must "crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Galatians 5:24). We've got to put to death all of our sinful and worldly desires, and allow Christ to live in us fully and completely.

How do you put these things to death? You've got to quit feeding them. David Nasser says it well in his book A Call to Die (wonderful book, by the way...): "Be ruthless. Be brutal.  Don't start to bargain. Grab the dragon by the throat and slay it with the Sword of Truth (the Bible). Don't listen to it plead or scream. Be done with it. The devil does not go easy on us. If you try to get rid of the sin gradually, it will find a way to hang on and you will be defeated...."

God does not tolerate sin and, as His children, we shouldn't either.