The normal Christian life is one that boasts only in the cross—the blazing center of God’s glory—and does it while bearing the cross. “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27). Bearing the cross is the means by which we are increasingly liberated to boast in the cross. Suffering is God’s design in this sin-soaked world (Romans 8:20). It portrays sin’s horror for the world to see. It punishes sin’s guilt for those who do not believe in Christ. It breaks sin’s power for those who take up their cross and follow Jesus. And because sin in the belittling of the all-satisfying glory of God, the suffering that breaks its power is a severe mercy. Whatever makes us more and more able to enjoy making much of God is mercy. For there is no greater joy than joy in the greatness of God. And if we must suffer to see this and savor it most deeply, then suffering is a mercy. And Christ’s call to take up our cross and join him on the Calvary road is love (Piper, 62).
Do you see suffering as mercy? Too often, I don’t. I pursue the hassle free, comfortable, and easy path. In John Piper’s words, I adopt the avoidance ethic. “One of the marks of this peacetime mind-set is what I call an avoidance ethic…In peacetime we tend to ask, What can I do to be more comfortable? To have more fun? To avoid trouble and, possibly, avoid sin? If we are going to pay the price and take the risks it will cost to make people glad in God, we move beyond the avoidance ethic. This way of life is utterly inadequate to waken people to the beauty of Christ. Avoiding fearful trouble and forbidden behaviors impresses almost no one. The avoidance ethic by itself is not Christ-commending or God-glorifying. There are many discipline unbelievers who avoid the same behaviors Christians do. Jesus calls us to something far more radical than that” (Piper, 118).
Jeff Purswell also spoke about this at the Clash. Living for Christ is not just about avoiding sin. It’s about devoting our lives for the cause of the Kingdom. It’s about boasting only in the cross. It’s about risking everything for Christ. It’s about suffering for God’s glory. It’s about glorifying God by enjoying Him forever.
A friend of mine recently told me of an encounter she had with a 70-year-old woman. After sharing her life story, which involved devoting much of her life to a Christian school overseas, this woman said the following: “I have no regrets.”
What does it mean to live a life that is not wasted? What does it look like to finish the race well and be as the 70-year-old who can say that she has no regrets? Really, what does it mean to say with Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain?
“We waste our lives when we do not pray and think and dream and plan and work toward magnifying God in all spheres of life” (Piper, 32). As I step into another academic year, I want to be aware of what it looks like practically to take up my cross, to boast only in the cross, and to live for Christ in all areas of my life.
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