The Wonderful Cross

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

The Wonderful Cross

Scripture:

Mark 8:34-38 (see also Matthew 16:24)

³⁴ When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ³⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? ³⁷ Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Luke 14:26-27

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

John 10:27

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

1 John 3:16

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 5:24

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Philippians 3:7-10

⁷ But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. ⁸ Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; ¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death

1 Peter 4:13

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Galatians 6:14

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Devotional:

Oh, the Wonderful Cross. I love the words of the beautiful resurrected hymn:

Oh, the Wonderful Cross

Oh, the Wonderful Cross

Bids me come and die

And find that I may truly live

Oh, the Wonderful Cross

Oh, the Wonderful Cross

All who gather here by grace draw near

And bless Your name

When I was a new and learning believer, I had a well-meaning sister in Christ hand me a book about being cross-centered. It is interesting: I never read the book. I felt condemned, corrected, and shamed. I felt I was being told that I was not a good enough Christian. I felt I was being told to “do better” and that I did not measure up. I do not fully even now understand why these feelings were surfaced for me, but I can take a short stab.

The words of Jesus can be hard to take in. When I was trying to “do” and “be” better, when I was focused on changing my behavior, I was overwhelmed with feeling I could never truly be like Him. I desperately wanted to be loving, kind, gentle, patient, humble….the many things I felt that I was not.

As a mom today, I can see how desperately I need the cross. To kneel at the foot of the cross on a daily basis and pour out my heart, shortcomings, fears, failures, needs…this is the solution. I can and do fill my mind with strategies, tools, and tips for raising both of my challenging children. I implement courses of action suggested by experts. I look at my job of parenting from as many angles as I can while always keeping Scripture in the center. However, I know that I cannot do this unless I get out of the way. When I am struggling with my feelings, frustrations and inconsistency it is almost always because there is a piece of my flesh that is not nailed to the cross. I can say this now with only a little of the condemnation that I felt early on. There is freedom in the cross. There is peace, joy and healing in the cross.

Oh, the Wonderful Cross! We have this opportunity, today, to put down what we are struggling to let go of at the foot of the Cross. We can truly live when we do!

Prayer:

Father, I recognize my need as a parent for Your Cross. I choose today to crucify my flesh and receive Your power to parent my children. I open my heart to You and ask that if I am harboring any piece of pride, selfishness or unforgiveness, You would reveal it to me so that I can nail it to Your Cross.

Intercession:

(In your journal, in a list on your phone, or in a document on your computer, list prayer requests. Add to your list, date the needs, begin to note where God has made a difference. Intercede. Pray over these needs. Allow God to bring Scripture to mind to apply. Write down scriptures that apply. Tape them to your refrigerator, dashboard, front of your wallet, the side of your computer, or in front of your kitchen sink. Every time you see it, pray! Thank God for working.)

Lord, I give You this day. Day by day, I lean into Your Cross.

In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.