Do you ever stop and think why Christians wear crosses and decorate churches with crosses thereby making the means of suffering and cruel death the symbol of their faith? In some churches it has become fashionable to keep the cross out of sight, replacing it with rainbows, angels, or doves. I will glory in the cross! A rainbow may speak to me of hope. Angels may cause me to feel some comfort and strength. Doves may remind me of the hovering Presence of the Spirit -- but only the Cross brings peace to my soul, assuring me of the Father's covenant love.
What a glorious thought - Christ suffering for ME, willingly, because He loves ME! I wish it had never been necessary for Him to become the Lamb of God, offered for my sin, but that is not the case. I am a sinner, a wretch, through and through: hopeless, broken, alone, dying - apart from the Cross where Life flowed down to ME!
I read through some of the hymns of the Cross again this morning. Read these lines thoughtfully, prayerfully. Let Watts and Crosby lead you to contemplate the wonder of Jesus' offering of Himself to meet your desperate need --
Jesus, keep me near the cross, There a precious fountain,
Free to all, a healing stream, Flows from Calvary's mountain.
In the cross, in the cross, Be my glory ever.
Till my raptured soul shall find, Rest beyond the river.
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Alas and did my Savior bleed, And did my sov'reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head, For such a worm as I?
But drops of grief can ne'er repay, The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself to Thee, 'Tis all that I can do!
At the cross, at the cross, Where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away;
It was there by faith, I received my sight
And now I am happy all the day!
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In the cross of Christ I glory,
Tow'ring o'er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
gathers round its head sublime.
When the woes of life o'ertake me,
hopes deceive and fears annoy;
Never shall the cross forsake me,
Lo! it glows with peace and joy.
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
by the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that thro' all time abide.
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Yes, Believer it is the Christ of the Cross that makes us holy and free. Don't 'rush' to the Resurrection this week. That is a grand Truth, and we love to tell it again and again. The empty tomb is the ultimate! But, the road to new life leads through the Cross. Think on His suffering. Don't distance yourself. Worship Him that He died for you, for me! Don't be swept up by those who would teach you that you can save yourself from God's judgment by religion, goodness, or martyrdom. God's love flows from the Cross, so let's glory in the Christ who showed us the depth of His love by dying there.
For my part, I am going to boast about nothing but the Cross of our Master, Jesus Christ. Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate." (Galatians 6:13-14, The Message)
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