Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone? – Thomas Shepherd (1693)

Must Je­sus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for ev­ery­one,
And there’s a cross for me.

How hap­py are the saints above,
Who once went sor­row­ing here!
But now they taste un­min­gled love,
And joy with­out a tear.

The con­se­crat­ed cross I’ll bear
Till death shall set me free;
And then go home my crown to wear,
For there’s a crown for me.

Upon the crys­tal pave­ment down
At Je­sus’ pierc­ed feet,
Joyful I’ll cast my gold­en crown
And His dear name re­peat.

O pre­cious cross! O glo­ri­ous crown!
O re­sur­rect­ion day!
When Christ the Lord
From Heav’n comes down
And bears my soul away.

And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27).

Cheap Crosses

I read the story of a missionary shopping in a village market. One shop sported a sign that read “Cheap Crosses.”

As he continued his task he thought to himself, “That’s what many Christians are looking for these days – cheap crosses. My Lord’s cross was not cheap. Why should mine be?”

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (Matthew 16:24-25).