June 29 Devotion:The Cross

The Cross

Matthew 27:39-43

[39] And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, [40] And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. [41] Likewise also the chief priests mocking him , with the scribes and elders, said, [42] He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. [43] He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

This is just a very small snippet of what Jesus went thru for us. It should be humbling for us to look at all He did for us in laying down His life for us on the cross. From the beating He received, the plucking of His beard, all the way to the mocking He receives here while hanging on the cross.

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to walk thru a museum. This was a tour that brought up many different emotions. Located in this museum is a cross that was found and looked at as a “symbol of hope and healing.” While I believe it to be wonderful that people can find comfort in the cross, I also wonder how often we simply forget what the cross stands for us as Christians. While it can symbolize hope and healing, there are also some things it should mean to us.

-It shows us a greater love beyond our comprehension

-It shows us a God that’s in control

-It shows us the hope we do have in Jesus

-It shows us a suffering we should never forget

That’s what I wanted to ask today. How often do you think about the cross? We’ll think about all God does for us, and “all He went thru.” When was last time that we truly thought about what He endured on the cross? Too often we become too busy to slow down and take a fresh look at things.

That museum I got the chance to go thru was the 9/11 museum. As we approach 17 years since that happened there are many things we seem to forget about or just block them out of our minds. It was a dark time in our country, but still one that we should never forget. It would do our country good to get back to God the way we did then.

The cross also brought a dark time:

Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

It also is something we should never forget!!

God bless you today!

Bro. Josh Richardson