From Now Until Easter - A Choice

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by Sarah Coleman - an Australian author and communicator. Her books include Single Christian Female and Make Yourself Amazing. She is passionate about the Kingdom of God.

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Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
Isaiah 53:4-5

The Cross is a great contradiction. Once the cruelest form of execution, yet now it is a symbol of abundant life. The Cross means many things to many people. Some have it displayed on their mantel, others wear it around their neck. What is... it about the Cross?

The Cross means love.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). He died for people who had lost their way. He did not die because it was forced upon him. It was a choice. A choice made in love.

Jesus still loves sinners. He came and gave his life for them. The message of the Cross remains a gift of love to those undeserving. 

The Cross is personal.

I want to know Christ... I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death (Philippians 3:10). Christianity is the only faith where God has reached down to us. Our response to such a God is to know him personally. Jesus died so that he could know you. It was personal.

The Cross is willful humility.

Christ’s death was an act of his will. In Philippians 2:7-8, Paul states that Jesus humbled himself in obedience and died a criminal's death on the Cross. Sometimes we mistakenly think that he made that decision as God. Jesus came to the conclusion to die for humanity as a human. He willed his flesh, mind, and emotions to die on the Cross.

Christ hung on the cross on purpose. He could choose to live as he pleased, but he chose to give his life for our sake. Galatians 2:20 says that we have been crucified with Christ – past tense. As Christians, we are to be dead to our will, as Christ was. Our life’s prayer should be, “Not my will, Yours be done.” And just like Jesus, it is our responsibility to act on our prayer. Being in the will of God is not a passive thing. It is an act of the will.

The Cross is prophetic.

There are many prophecies of the Cross in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. From the beginning of time, God planned to rescue humanity from the clutches of evil...

He was disfigured, tormented, completely abused. But not only was his punishment prophesied, so was our atonement. Pierced for sin. Beaten for wholeness. Whipped for healing. A divine exchange. Blessings for curses, completeness for brokenness, unrighteousness for holiness. Redemption was prophesied.

The Cross is final.

And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were killed, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become God’s kingdom and his priests. And they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10, NLT)

So many [people] gaze at the Cross and yet hold on to past hurt, pain, and problems. They don’t belong on your back any longer – Jesus has taken them on his. The debt is paid. Look to the Cross and receive your salvation.

Prayer:

Father, Redeemer, Lamb of God, 

                 You are worthy. Thank You for the Cross, Lord. Help us to see it for all it is worth. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Yes, It IS Personal!

The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.
John 10:10 The Living Bible

We purchase self-help books because we want to be better. We somehow believe that if we just do it better, bigger, brighter, that we can be successful. Have you ever chosen a book to read based on whatever help or advice it might provide in a certain area of your life, only to discover the author is so readably entertaining that you find yourself devouring the pages, but not really savoring the content? Hmmm, readably... I'm sure that's not a real word, but you know what I mean, yes? You may know there are Truths contained within the covers of the book, but you probably missed them in the marathon motoring to the last page.  It's a fact that there are some great self-help books out there, but if we don't take the time to make it applicable on a personal level, nothing's going to change. 

It's the same in our walk with Christ only with much greater consequences at stake. We can breeze through the Bible, checking the box of doing our Christian duty, but if we don't take the time to make it applicable on a personal level, nothing's going to change. And trust me when I say to you, it's all VERY personal. 

When Jesus said, The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy - It wasn't a blanket statement to be brushed over lightly. It was - and is - a personal warning. Steal. Kill. Destroy. These are NOT innocuous actions. The enemy of your soul has a plan to steal, kill and destroy you. he knows you well. How else do you think the circumstances that adversely affect you are so tailor-made for your life? It's his mission to destroy you personally. Don't you believe anyone who tells you it's nothing personal. Oh, yes! It IS!

So, let's not forget the second part of that Scripture - Jesus's promise, My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. Christ's whole life on earth was personal. He came with one purpose in mind, to save you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Christ's crucifixion on the Cross at Calvary was most personal!! Read and study the Word! Everything in it is personal to God... 

Prayer:

Father, 
          We want to become fervently relentless in our pursuit of You. By Your Grace, we want the learned Truths of Your Word to be processed thoroughly in our lives so that they become powerfully productive and personal! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen