In many cases Christians wear, a cross around their neck but are unwilling to bear a cross in their daily lives, because, quite frankly, it’s much easier to wear a cross than to bear a cross. My friends when we fully understand what the cross of Christ signifies, I believe, bearing our cross will become not only possible but a privilege and joy.
For you see at the cross of Christ, a most unique thing happened: God’s love for lost sinners and His perfect justice met. It’s at the cross where the wounds of sin are healed. It’s at the cross where emotional problems can receive healing. And it’s at the cross where real comfort for suffering can be obtained as we meditate on the suffering that Jesus went through on our behalf.
And while it’s true that God’s holiness demands payment for sin, His love offers pardon. And the only way God could reconcile us back to Himself was at the cross where Jesus took the penalty we deserved, on Himself.
When I think of the cross, I like to view it through the eyes of Jesus, who I believe, looked at all of suffering humanity and their doomed state and understood that by His going to the cross He could purchase their salvation. This clearly brought our Savior great joy knowing that His death at Calvary meant that we could be restored back to God. Jesus, rather than look at the cross as an instrument of ultimate pain, torture, and suffering, chose to look at it as an instrument of ultimate glorification to the Father.
And that is how we as Christians should view the cross. While bearing our cross daily means that we can expect trials and sufferings for the sake of Christ, we need to realize that knowing that we are helping to advance the kingdom of God and in so doing bring glory to the Father, great joy should become our wonderful earthly traveling companion in the process.
The Roman cross was a cruel instrument of death, but the cross that Jesus hung on proved to be an amazing instrument of temporary death leading to abundant life. St. Louis de Montfort shared this beautiful thought on the cross: “The cross is the greatest gift God could bestow on His Elect on earth. There is nothing so necessary, so beneficial, so sweet, or so glorious as to suffer something for Jesus. If you suffer as you ought, the cross will become a precious yoke that Jesus will carry with you.”1
I pray that these few thoughts on the cross will help you to view it, not as a piece of jewelry, but as a precious jewel to bear each day as we journey with Christ.
1 The Sign of the Cross, The cross is the greatest gift God could bestow on… (tumblr.com)
This is beautful! My wife and I took communion together just before I read today’s posting on the proper view of the cross. This view adds great significance as we take the elements of His broken body and His shed blood in remembrance of His obedient work on that Old Rugged Cross! Wish I had read it before our communion!