Christians have believed from the beginning that the cross calls us to conform to it; this comes from the message of Jesus who said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” This can be called cruciform living; it is conforming our lives to the cross and letting our lives be formed by it. The cross is more than an ornament to wear; it is more than an icon on a wall. It is a way of living life that is absolutely revolutionary whenever we embrace it. It is a surrender that ends in victory; it is a death that ends in resurrection. Cruciform living is the narrow way that so few seem to find. It is an entire consecration that means we give up accepted and prized cultural ways of living; it is a self-denial that loses life and then finds it . Embrace the cruciform way.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)
