Finding Peace at the Cross
/Can you imagine kneeling at the cross (that first Easter) beside Jesus’ mother, brothers, friends, and enemies wondering why - how He could endure such torture, and weeping at the sight of His broken, beaten, blood covered body held in place by rusty nails? Oh, to have witnessed Him look down at his mother - telling His brother to care for her, and finally hearing words for His Father - heard from Calvary to Heaven... “It is finished”!
Trying to imagine all the gut wrenching hurt, hatred, and horrible suffering Jesus faced in His thirty three years that climaxed on the cross can cause weeping but not ‘wondering’ as we witness God’s Word being fulfilled today! We know the rest of the story...Jesus lives and God wins! Yet, do we take time to kneel at the cross and feel the light fill our hearts with hope in these troubled times? Are we looking up with wonder at how He lives and looks after us or looking down - with a frown - wondering what is happening all around?
Like Paul, we have seen the light that gives truth and tenderness to the greatest love story of all times - from cradle to cross! We can only imagine being there when Jesus died on the cross He carried to Calvary… sacrificing His life selflessly...for our sins. Yet, it’s not ‘just our imagination’ that He lives within our hearts, loves all His children ( not just you and me), and looks after us through all seasons of weeping, wondering, and writing our love stories here while preparing for Heaven ! When we welcome Jesus into our hearts, honor God and His Word, and truly trust the Holy Spirit for guidance in these gut wrenching times, we can live in peace and only imagine the bountiful blessings that will keep us writing our stories and singing His songs through every season ‘all the day long’!
Oh sweet Jesus, at the cross, at the cross where we first saw the light and the burdens of our hearts rolled away. It was there by faith we received our sight and now we are happy all the day! Time here is His gift to open and enjoy working, telling His stories, and writing our own every day. Faithfully, we should serve and share through seasons of enduring what we never thought we would witness along our way!
His love story continues as we give honor and glory to Him every day...not just this Easter weekend in the year of our Lord “2021” when signs are being fulfilled and time is nigh for our Savior to appear in the eastern sky!
Do we dare boast about and glorify God 'for such a time as this' when the world mocks the Master from within? Yes, we do... in humility and honor to HIM! The time is now for all Christians to stand up in faith and shout loud and clear..."Give glory to God, tell His stories, sing His songs, and be prepared - for time is near!
What glory is there in the cross for us to boast about? The blessing of knowing the Son of God was crucified as the shining HOPE of the world, the end for all believers to be bound by bondage to sin, and the LOVE of God to live in the hearts of men!
While we can only imagine the mystery of Christ’s atonement, we know the rest of the story and should joyfully live life and serve Him from beginning to end. When we come to the cross in simple, trusting faith… we lose all guilty stains and find peace with God. Then, when we are truly in tune with HIM, we can write the rest of our love stories while imagining what Heaven will be like when our work here comes to an end...and life for eternity - where God is - begins!
