The Message of the Cross

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

If you missed Wednesday's blog, the basic point was that in times of difficulty, when we should be drawn to an eternal perspective, all too often those difficulties draw us to faith and assurance in temporal things. Whether it be in doctors, social distancing, science, family, friends, etc., our tendency during this time of Covid-19 might be to put our trust and faith in something other than GOD. 

Today, I want to ask the question, "What is the message of the Cross?" We know this message leads us to two possible conclusions:

1. The message of the Cross is foolishness if you do not believe.
2. The message of the Cross is the power of GOD if you do.

The first thing that we should define is what this message is exactly...What is the message of the Cross? What a simple and complicated question. The simple answer is that the message of the Cross is the love of GOD poured out for us in salvation. That since we all sin, we in no way deserve the love of GOD and we certainly do not deserve to ever be in His presence. In fact, without some type of intervention on our behalf, our sin separates us from a holy GOD.

The Gospel, the message of the Cross, is that we WERE dead in our sin but we HAVE BEEN made alive by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. For a just GOD, sin has to be punished, but for a GOD who loves us, He did not want the people that He loved to be punished and separated from Him. So He made a way...With His Son...On the Cross. 

Now, we have to decide which camp we fall into. Do we fall into the camp that the message of the Cross is foolishness or into the camp that the message of the Cross is the power of GOD? Here are some indicators:

• When things get difficult, where do we turn?
• Are we humble, with the ability to put the needs of others (and by others I mean everyone) above our own?
• Do we live lives marked by love and sacrifice or by selfishness and doing whatever we can for ourselves?
• Do we strive wholeheartedly after GOD or after the American dream of wealth, power, good children and a good retirement?

In almost every aspect of our lives, our actions speak louder than our words. We can say that the message of the Cross is the power of GOD, but the proof is in how we live our lives...Especially when things get hard. My challenge to myself and to everyone reading this is to take stock of our lives. Where do we trust GOD and where do we not?

The truth is, if this were a counseling session rather than a blog, I could easily name aspects of my own life where my life would show the world that I believe the message of the Cross to be foolishness. There were probably always be these things in my life. But my prayer is that they would become less, that I would become less, and that Jesus living in me would become greater and greater and greater...