You are not a Christian? Were you not christened?
The Star of Bethlehem helped lead the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus. Jesus came to show us the way; his death was not for himself. He showed us the way to find salvation. Through Jesus, we can be forgiven. The reason we need to be forgiven is that Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan, and we came to know evil. We are always living with evil, and evil is inside us.
Luke 14:27 says: “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
It was determined that Christ was going to save us through sacrifice and death. Christians have to bear their own crosses, whatever the struggle or burden may be, and follow Christ in his ways. The cross is about us. Jesus is here for us, isn't he? We all have to regard sacrifice and giving ourselves to God as the way to be, otherwise Jesus came and died for nothing. What God is saying is that good is only achieved through sacrifice. We can only be close to God through sacrifice. The cross is teaching us that.
