The Christian's cross is not the trouble and pain that are the common lot of mankind, but is peculiar to the followers of the Crucified. Of this cross every true believer knows something, however slight, but the apostle Paul knew much, as he tells us in such passages as Colossians 1:24; 2 Corinthians 4:10; and Philippians 3:10.

The cross for the Christian means the refusal of sin and self-will. It means living for the spiritual and eternal at the expense of the natural and temporal; for the kingdom of God at the expense of our own ambitions and interests, and sometimes our friendships and health. It may even entail persecution. It is the spirit of sacrificial service. In short, the Christian's cross is the cost of doing God's will and serving men's highest interests.

"At Thy feet, O Christ, we lay
Thine own gift of this new day;
Doubt of what it holds in store
Makes us crave Thine aid the more;
Lest it prove a time of loss,
Mark it, Saviour, with Thy cross."

Saintly Rutherford could say, "Christ's cross is the sweetest burden I ever had; it is such a burden as wings are to a bird, to carry me forward."

—E. Adams