The cross of Christ – Where God’s true joy begins…
The glorious wonder and blessing of dying to the heavy burden of living for self –
Boy, I don’t yet know everything the Lord wants me to convey about the blessing of the cross in our lives. Just the fact that Christ died for our sins on the cross is life-saving and life-changing.
I’ll try to put into words what the Lord seems to be saying to me about the cross.
When we take up our cross, daily, God works His power in us. His love transforms our lives and renews our minds. Taking up our cross involves memorizing scripture, learning how to win spiritual battles by learning that we can take every thought captive to Christ, learning how to be overcomers in this world. We, also, gain so much compassion and understanding, both of which are needed today as He has us reach out to love each other. The cross teaches us patience, makes us more Christ-like, and becoming more like Jesus always blesses our lives and the lives of those around us.
The cross is not intended to be a burden. It is intended to help us die to self, and dying to self and taking on God’s character is such a huge blessing. We trade in our weak flesh for the fruit of the Spirit. Our lives are blessed with Jesus’ selfless love, peace, self control, humility, joy, faith, etc. We receive the Word into our lives as the cross helps us focus on Jesus, our Prince of Peace, the Lord of all that is good, the One Who gives life its true meaning.
The very pages of the Bible (like The Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:1-12, and the love found in 1 Corinthians 13) become alive in us and attract others to the liberating life that only Jesus can give.
No other life will be as blessed as that one who seeks to take up their cross, daily. Do you see what I mean? Can you begin to get excited about the daily cross Jesus asks us to take up? Tremendous blessings reside in the cross for each of us. Heavenly blessings that cannot be discovered any other way. =)
Praise God! Thank you Jesus!
We can rejoice in the cross for all that it’s done and is doing in our lives…
“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.” (Lyric by Isaac Watts)
The cross can make us happy all the day, precious people. There’s no greater life than being like Jesus. If there was another, greater life, Jesus would have told us so.
Oh the joy of life lived in and for Jesus. Such stillness of soul, trust, rest, contentment, peace, love and joy. His death opened the door to His joy.
Nothing was ever meant to be compared with the joy that comes from our Heavenly Father. Nothing can.
That Jesus’ joy may be in us. Wow… =)
God bless,
Mark
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.